


When Lightning Strikes

by Brittles_06



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/M, Humor, M/M, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-06-12 06:22:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 100,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15333753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brittles_06/pseuds/Brittles_06
Summary: It's been several months since Master disbanded the guild after their battles with Tartaros. Laxus and the Thunder Legion are all residing with Bickslow's family in Bosco and are the hunt for Lucy whom has since gone missing. Follow their journey as they help our favorite celestial mage to recover find her path again. Slow Burn





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail & Desna owns the Pradesh family *eventual LaLu*

* * *

 

The blonde haired dragon slayer was currently wandering around the streets of Pelerno contemplating how he and the Thunder Legion managed to become SS Class mages in the world-renowned White Sea guild. Bickslow, Freed, and Evergreen had followed him to Bosco even after he had told them that there was no need to do so but each had there own reasons for coming. Bickslow's family all lived in Pelerno and were a very well known family in the country, Freed was excited to get his nose stuck in some new books, and Evergreen was there to help heal her broken heart. All four of them had their own individual reasons for being here, but they all came to the same conclusion after Fairy Tail had been disbanded.

The battle against Tartaros had left a mark on everyone, some worse than others. The four mages had been protecting one of the old men from the Magic Council when they were attacked by a demon who used bane particles to kill his victims. The Thunder Legion had fallen ill from breathing in the particles and Laxus breathed the brunt of the particles to stop them from reaching the innocent people around them. They had been bedridden for most of the battle with the guild, but Laxus had summoned enough power to transport himself to the crash site and face off with Tempest. It was a tough battle since he wasn't even close to full strength, but the demon found himself in a puddle of water and one solid bolt was enough to permanently kill him. Blood had gotten on his jacket and he gave it to Gajeel to take to the old hag to make an antidote for everyone who was infected.

Shortly after that Gramps decided the best course of action was to disband the guild, which was a bunch of bull shit in his mind. Gramps was constantly preaching about family and how they always first, no mage left behind. However that was exactly what Makarov had done, he abandoned everyone who needed him and left them on their own. The guild members all went their own ways and he was only in contact with a few mages. Mirajane talked to Laxus once a week and kept him updated on how the Strauss siblings were doing, Cana called in once every two weeks to let him know that her and Gildarts were alright, and Erza contacted him once a month to update him on her situation with Crime Sorciere as well as everyone she had tracked in the guild. She didn't know where Natsu, Grey, Juvia, or Lucy were at though and that was enough to raise some concern.

The fact that Natsu hadn't caused an international incident was proof enough that he was alright, same goes for Grey and Juvia was at least stalking the stripper. Blondie gave him cause for concern though. She was never seen without her team and when she was it was generally because someone decided to kidnap her or use her in a plan to end the world. It wasn't like her to drop off the face of the planet with her being a people person, plus she really was the Light of Fairy Tail. It had taken them a month to travel to Pelerno, trying to take the least amount of transportation because if Laxus' motion sickness and another four months had passed since joining the guild. Five months in total that no one had heard from the celestial mage, so he had asked Master Kaleb to keep an eye out for her.

Kaleb was an incredible Mindbender mage, Master of Immaculate Light, fifth Wizard Saint of Bosco, older brother to Bickslow, and Arman's first adopted son. He was as tall as Laxus was with long platinum hair he kept in a ponytail, pale lavender eyes, and trained with lances while being an expert swordsman. He had accepted them into the guild with open arms and had let them train for two weeks before going through their ranking trials. Each challenge was specific to each mage to gauge their strengths, weaknesses, strategizing, and magic powers as well as how they operate in a group setting. Needless to say, they had aced it since they were all SS Class now.

The night they were all welcomed into the guild was the first night that Freed and Evergreen met Arman and Farron, Bickslow's father and eldest brother. Laxus had previously met him when he was exiled from the guild thanks to Bickslow's suggestion. Arman, a decorated ambassador, was a talented sound mage with pale green eyes and black hair he keeps braided and hanging over his shoulder. He's also a widower who lost his wife and son, Zen, when an attack on the embassy had occurred. His wife's dream was to have a large family of eight and after she passed away he decided to honor her wishes by adopting several children. Farron was also a sound mage and was the spitting image of his father with mahogany colored hair and baby blue eyes whom followed his father's footsteps and became an ambassador too.

There were four other children in the family, all of them being talented mages as well. Cristoff was a lunar dragon slayer who was raised by his dragon, Nurem until he was twelve. The slayer was as tall as Laxus and just as well defined from his years of physical training under Kaleb in the guild. He kept his black hair shorter, resting just above his shoulders and while his soft dark blue eyes would make anyone feel safe. His dragon power was amazing, but his healing abilities were like none other he had ever seen in his life. Cristoff often joined them for missions and the two slayers got along swimmingly.

There was two girls int he family as well, Emzadi and Xally. Emzadi is a solar dragon slayer with blonde hair, orange eyes, and was several inches shorter than Laxus. Emzadi was usually gone on long missions due to her power as a slayer. Xally was the shortest of all the siblings with black hair and aquamarine eyes that perfectly reflected her water magic. She had strong healing abilities as well, nowhere near Cristoff's, but it had led her to pursue her passion of becoming a doctor, graduating from the University of Pelerno with her Ph.D. in pediatric medicine. She was away quite often due to her shifts at the Pradesh Emergency Hospital.

Then there was the king of trouble making, Vander. Laxus had very little patience with the shadowquip mage and had yet actually hit the lil shit with a bolt of his lightning. Vander and Bickslow had trained in acrobatics and gymnastics together, sported red and black hair and matching red eyes. When his eyes glowed he was channeling the void shades and while he comes off as a lazy cocky man he is meticulous in his training to ensure that the voids won't warp his soul and turn him into a dark mage.

Laxus found himself back at the front doors of the guild and he walked through them and headed straight to his dorm room. A couple of women asked if he'd like to share pleasure with them, but he politely declined their offer. Sure he had indulged when he had first come back to the guild, hell they all had since Boscans were world-renowned for their skills and teachings. Now, however, he had an aching need to settle down, which was upsurd because Laxus liked his freedom and liked his women.

After talking with Cristoff about what was going on the lunar slayer had a lot of insight for the lightning slayer. Turns out all slayers were born with some dragon tendencies, such as the need find a mate and start a family or build a nest in which to store all their treasures or to claim kin and feel safe. Laxus' dragon seemed to have woken after the Tartaros incident, after his near death experience with those damn particles. The first and third gen slayers were taught all of this already, maybe besides Wendy since she was so young, but it appeared that Laxus and Cobra were sorely lacking that knowledge. Emzadi was the second gen but had the privilege of learning from Nurem as well.

Apparently, the dragon would only choose one mate, whether it was male or female, and spend eternity by each other's side. Mates would be their perfect counterpart in every way and they'd be drawn to his or her scent. There was a chance you may have known this person beforehand, but until the dragon had matured there was no way of knowing whom it could be. The case was also the same for the second and third generation slayers as well, but the constant whining from his dragon was going to drive him off the deep end real fuckin quick. To his knowledge, none of the dragon slayers knew whom their mates were and none of them were mated. Laxus felt sorry for the poor bastard who had to experience it first.

"Laxus to you have a minute?" Vander came slinking out of the shadows as the slayer was about to enter his room.

"What do you want?"

"Presca and I were using our super sleuthing skills," Laxus rolled his eyes at the cocky young mage, "and stumbled across another dragon slayer. Kaleb has looked into his mind and seems he has crossed paths with you several times. He wants you to come to check him out because he says he has news about Lucy." That piqued Laxus' attention enough that he followed the shadowquip mage to the infirmary where Cristoff was working on healing what looked like a broken leg.

"What's shaking socket rocket?" Cobra smirked as Laxus growled at the mage.

"I thought you were in prison?"

"After the whole mess with the council being murdered, we were released into Crime Sorciere's custody. We took out a nasty dark guild but I was attacked by six mages, captured, and taken to the mountains of Seven. I poisoned my way out of there but not before running into Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum over there."

"That's great and all, but what about Cosplayer?" At the mention of her Cobra's demeanor sank.

"I met Tink while we were captured in Seven. The two of us had ample time to talk and needless to say she snaked her way into my black heart. We shared a cell for seven days before they took her with the intent of selling her to the Joyan Warqueen, Sydelle. No one seemed to know why she wants Tink though. They left the mountains five days ago and were heading on foot to meet her in Stella. I know the route they were taking and as soon as money is done healing me we can set out." Freed, Evergreen and Bickslow looked to Laxus. They all knew Cobra's past as a member of the Oracion Seis and the Neo Oracion Seis, and none of them were super keen on working with him.

"How can we trust you after all the bull shit you've pulled in the past?" Laxus questioned the maroon-haired slayer.

"His dragon has claimed Lucy as it's Kin and I believe he may be the slayer to formally do so," Kaleb said while Cobra glared at the Mindbender mage. It was fun to do the soul reading, but having someone else inside your head just sucked.

"Well fuck. If his dragon has claimed Lucy as Kin and she has accepted his claim then he's not all bad," stated Cristoff while thinking about the subject a little more. "If she really did agree to be your Kin where did you place your mark and her and hers on you?" Cobra pulled back the sleeve of his white jacket to reveal an eight-point golden star on his wrist. The four points facing north, south, east, and west were longer than that other points that intersected with the others.

"What's Lucy get? A skull and crossbones?" chuckled Vander.

"Fuck off Red. I placed my mark on the same spot on her wrist as she did mine, so she now bears a green diamond surrounded by purple flames." The green diamond actually looked like a jewel with purple flames encasing the stone. Cobra was quite proud of his mark. "If we leave soon we should be able to meet them at the most northeastern part of the Bosco mountain range before they cross into Stella."

"We leave within the hour, so go pack up. Cristoff will moon jump us to the mountains and we'll spread in three group there, each of which will be with Cristoff, Vander, or Thane so that we can meet up easily once Lucy has been found. I'll assign groups once we are ready." All ten mages, minus Cobra, headed to their rooms and quickly packed their gear. Evergreen packed extra clothes for Lucy since she has a penance to lose all of her clothes while traveling or battling, which also made her the last mage to arrive.

"The teams will be Cristoff, Cobra, Evergreen, and Freed covering the north - Vander, Laxus, and Presca covering the south - Thane, Bickslow, and myself covering the west. Are there any questions?" No one spoke up so Kaleb continued. "Beck is going to be in command while I am away and I have let father and Farron know of our mission. I will be linking all of our minds for this mission, so please keep the perverseness to a minimum." Kaleb pointedly looked at Vander whom just shrugged. "If there are no other concerns we'll be heading off."

The Thunder Legion looked at each other and one thought crossed their minds -  _Hang in there Lucy. We're coming for you._


	2. Chapter 2

Lucy was glad they had stopped for the night. The birdcage that she was trapped in made her back hurt from all of the jostlings that were going on. She couldn't believe that she had gotten herself into such a shitty position.  _Hopefully, Cobra will be able to escape and send help._ Lucy looked at her kin marking that he had given her and sadly smiled. She had learned so much about him in their brief time that they shared together. He had told her about his past and life in Tower before Brain had come and tainted their minds with unfulfilled promises. He said that jail wasn't so bad, but it was boring as fuck which made her giggle. He also apologized to her for the whole infinity clock thing too. Said he felt guilty the moment he heard her soul within the giant airborne fish and promised himself that he would apologize to her someday, even if she didn't want it. Lucy easily forgave him for everything and told him that they'd start fresh a clean slate.

Searching for Aquarius' key is what had led to her eventual capture. Granted she didn't find that key, but she was able to pick up a dozen silver keys since the guild had disbanded. Her heart clenched at that thought since she wasn't over it yet. Everyone had left her behind, but she stuck around Magnolia for a month attempting to contact anyone she could. Once it was made painfully obvious no one was going to touch base with her she canceled her lease on her apartment and started traveling around Fiore as a lone mage.

Capricorn created a training regimen for her and answered all of her questions about her transformation and how she defeated Jackal. Stardress, that was the new power she had acquired and since Aquarius had gifted Lucy with her magic she could change into her stardress at will. Lucy worked diligently with each of her zodiac spirits to ensure she was able to use the gifts they had given her to the best of her ability. She had a hard time with Gemini's stardress and their power to know everything about a person the moment she transformed into them, but with A LOT of meditation, she was able to focus.

Lucy had followed a rumor she had come across while imitating a dark mage, and while it led her to her latest spirit Vulpecula the fox it inadvertently caused her capture. She had been in the border town of Beledge, which was a town that had been built centering around Fiore, Seven, and Bosco. The celestial mages keys had been swiped and as she hunted down the man who had taken them she walked into a trap. Seems that a woman of high standing in Joya has a reward out for anyone whom could find a virgin celestial mage, such as she. Ten to one with no keys were awful odds, but she did manage to take out three of them before they knocked her out.

The mountains of Seven were freezing, but she was given decent clothing and a blanket to keep her warm since it'd do the dark guild no good if she wasn't healthy when they handed her off to their Joyan counterparts. However, that didn't stop them from invading her dreams whenever she fell asleep. Most of her nightmares were about being raped or watching as they killed her friends in Fairy Tail. Occasionally her dreams were filled with visions of being married to a man who loved her and having children to look after. Dreams of hope. She was mentally exhausted and terrified that they actually would rape her one day when she was unsuspecting, but she clung to the hope. She had been kidnapped two months ago before Cobra entered her life and those short few days were utter bliss.

Now she was literally being carted to Mavis knows where to some woman who she didn't know from a hole in the ground.  _I'm probably part of another evil fucking plan. Why can't it be anyone else but me that holds the key to whatever nefarious plans are underway?_  Lucy huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. Lucky Lucy Heartfilia could go fuck herself for all she was concerned. Maybe a new nickname would help her to NOT be kidnapped. Lucy snorted.

"Hey, Sprinkle Titties." Lucy rolled her eyes at the glorious nickname they had given her. "Here's your meal for today. We're stopping for the night and we should be at our meeting point by early afternoon." Lucy looked at the stale bun with ham and cheese paired with half an apple that had been given to her. They gave her minimal food but always made sure she had water so that was a bonus. She watched as they made camp and built a fire that was large enough that even she could feel the heat.  _That flame is big enough that someone could find us if they were looking for me. One day soon you'll escape._

Lucy groaned as she rolled around on the ground before sitting up to take in her surroundings.  _Wasn't I just in the cage?_  Looking around she realized that the fire was still blazing, but her home away from home was nowhere to be found. She was confused, to say the least, and the breeze that caressed her skin was cool, too cool. She looked down to find herself naked and desperately tried to cover herself with her hands and squeezed her eyes shut praying to Mavis that it wouldn't happen tonight.

"There she is boys and her already naked like a good lil bitch should be." The black haired male joked to his partner.

"Think she'll fight against us tonight Dorin?" asked the light blue haired man.

"Oh, I hope so Fen. I do love it when she struggles, but it's a crying shame we can't physically do this to her." Dorin looked Lucy up and down as she tried to shy away from his stare.

"If that Joyan lady wasn't so influential we would have been able to taste her succulent body already." He licked his lips and palmed the outside of his pants. "I'm glad it's my turn tonight. I've been waiting for my turn since that one-eyed bastard left. Still, haven't figured out how he was able to keep us out of her dreams or why we don't remember our nights very well."

"Whatever the case is I'm glad to watch the two of you. Lots of the guys here aren't into shared dreams, but I know you're not like that Fen."

"It's only fair you get to watch since you're the whole reason I even get to be here. Besides a dream orgasm is almost better than the real thing and it's a hell of a lot better than trying to jack off in the bushes." The two men laughed as Lucy tried to inch her way away from them.

"How would you like her tonight? On the ground? Kitchen table? Tied and gagged?" Dorin watched Lucy swallow the lump in her throat and grinned at her discomfort.

"How about you bind her to that tree in the form of an X?" Fen pointed to a large spruce tree off to the side that was easily twice as wide as the celestial mage. Dorin waved his hands as chains snaked around the tree and an almost magnetic force pulled Lucy against the rough bark as the wrist and ankle cuffs clamped her in place. Lucy bit her lip and averted her eyes and tried to focus on happy thoughts, but she was finding it harder and harder to think of any.

"You can keep your eyes closed all you want darlin, but I KNOW that you can still feel everything that I do to your body." He roughly grabbed her breasts and laughed when she whimpered in pain. "Do you feel better knowing that when you wake up that this hasn't actually happened and your not in pain? Or does the pain haunt you even when you're awake?" Lucy flinched because what he said was true and her nights of torment constantly filled her mind. He placed his hairy knee between her virgin folds and licked the side of her neck before biting down, hard. Lucy screamed out from the force of his bite and willed the tears away.

"STOP! Please just leave me alone," her voice was hollow, but she'd try anything to make him stop. She could see Dorin with his pants and boxers around his ankles stroking his member, enjoying her pain. Fen licked both her nipple before firmly pinching them making Lucy bite the inside of her cheek trying her damnedest not to give in and yell. His hands were rough and unforgiving as they plagued her body and imprinted on her mind.

"What's wrong doll? You're not fighting nearly as much as you normally do. Have you decided to just give in to us?" Fen said against the skin of her neck before pulled back to look at the blonde's face and was met with a hard glare. "Oh, there's fire in you after all. Good! I want you screaming and begging me to stop by the time I'm finished with you." He shoved three fingers into her and relentlessly worked her, cackling as he heard Dorin moaning in pleasure. Fen continued to leave bite marks in Lucy flesh as silent tears started to fall down her cheeks. He removed his pants and was ready to shove his dick into her when the forest started to shake.

"What the fuck man? I'm just getting to the good pat so why are you making everything move?" Fen yelled at his counterpart.

"Fuck! That's not me. Someone is messing with my magic and trying to control me!" Lucy watched as Dorin was ripped from the dream quickly followed by Fen and she collapsed to the ground due to the shackles disappearing. Lucy watched as the forest began to melt and felt herself slipping away, or more accurately waking up. Lucy glanced at her surroundings to find that she was still in her cage, but it looked like the Thunder Legion was fighting her captors.

"Cosplayer! Cosplayer!" Two of Bickslow's totems were floating around her head as she reached waiting for her hand to slip through them like a mirage, but was pleasantly surprised when she touched solid wood.  _They're real!_  Her mind played those two words over and over in her mind and she was thankful to be saved, but after her ordeal, tonight seeing familiar faces were too much and her mind went blank before she slumped against the cold bars passing out.

* * *

Vander had gone ahead of Laxus and Presca to cover more ground in the shadows and commanded some of the void demons to scout ahead as well.  _Traveling with those two is about as fun as fucking tree, they're all bark_. The lone mage laughed to himself before he heard the laughter of his other teammates and a rather vicious growl from a certain lightning dragon slayer.  _Would anyone believe me if I said I forgot about the mind link for a moment?_  More laughter was heard before Kaleb cut in.  _Sorry Van but no one here believes you for even a millisecond._ He shrugged his shoulders and continued flying through the shadows.

One of his void demons reported back saying they spotted a strange orange glow a couple miles east of their position. Vander followed the demon and once he saw the campsite and blazing fire he dismissed the evil fiend and sent off his SOS to the team.  _They have fifteen men escorting a blonde chick who is trapped in a cage. These guys must have small dicks and are compensating in numbers to need so many people to transport a confined woman._   _None of them seem to have that much magic power and . . . What the actual fuck!_  Vander went silent as he watched Lucy cringe while looking to be asleep, but a quick glimpse into the shadows of her dream brought out a very different story.  _FUCK THAT SHIT! Get your asses here now so we can put down these diseased men._  Vander had shown them the brief glimpse he was able to see and instantly everyone was thinking of ways to maim the men who thought raping Lucy was ok.

Thane, Kaleb, and Bicklsow were the first to arrive by Vander's side promptly followed by Cristoff, Evergreen, and Freed.  _Laxus you need to wait until I can rip these men from Lucy's dream before thundering in and giving away our position._  Laxus grunted in acknowledgment to Kaleb's orders and waited with Presca as the watched the Mindbender mage at work. Kaleb found the two men that were intruding on Lucy's mind and wrapped his magic around the dark-haired man's magic giving it a rude shake and watching to see Lucy's reaction to the shake.  _Got you, you filthy bastard!_  Kaleb ripped the dream mage from Lucy's vision and violently pulled any relative information from him before sending him into nothingness. Once he was rendered useless the other mage fell away from Lucy's mind.  _All clear. I'm searching them all quickly to see if they have any useful information, so don't kill them too quickly._

Lightning struck the ground in the center of campsite waking every mage there and startling them with the fact there was a very pissed off man that had bolts of lightning flashing across his skin making Presca quick to move away from the raging blonde. Laxus glared at all of the waste of skin that was trembling before her.  _Bix can you make sure that Blondie is alright?_  Bickslow sent two of his babies over to Lucy and watched through his totems eyes as she touched one of them, wide-eyed, then promptly passed out.  _She's alright, but I will be better when we get her the hell out of here._

The nine mages made quick work of the scum, with no deaths, and Kaleb was able to infiltrate all of their minds. None of them except the dream mage held any useful information. Cristoff was on the phone with the Rune Knight's headquarters in this area to inform of what had occurred and that they'd leave them all in magic canceling handcuffs for pickup.

"Has anyone seen Lucy's keys? She'll want to have them once we get back to Pelerno." Evergreens quiet voice broke through the silence in the camp.

"They're on the dream mage. They were given to him since he was in charge." Kaleb stated while cuffing random men. Evergreen found them attached to his belt and cut them from the evil man. She turned around to see Freed using his magic to open the cage Lucy was locked in as Cristoff gently took her from the cramped space and began healing her where he could. Evergreen was in tears at seeing how skinny and pale the bright celestial mage had become. No one deserved to be treated like this, least of all someone as sweet and loving as Lucy.

"I've physically healed everything that I could, but it'll take some time for her to regain the weight she lost. I've also placed her in a healing sleep and she'll be there until she's ready to face the world as her mind is in utter turmoil." Cristoff felt sorry for the poor mage and promised himself he'd do everything in his power to help her. He watched as Evergreen placed her keys on a belt that Freed had created securely placing it around the celestial mage's waist. The keys glowed a brilliant gold and Lucy sighed contently.

"Thane, can you take us all back the estate? I know father will want to ensure that she is alright, plus it's much more peaceful there than the guild." Everyone linked arms, as Cristoff continued to hold onto Lucy, and took them all back home.


	3. Chapter 3

It'd be an entire week since they had brought Lucy back to the Pradesh estate, and while Arman had never met the celestial mage in person, he knew that she was important. He could feel the amount of magic the girl held, granted she wasn't physically strong she did have deep magic reservoirs that he was sure would rival Kaleb's. Most people thought of holder magic, especially celestial magic, as a defensive magic only that wasn't good if the mage wasn't strong. Arman's views were different than most though. He had seen first hand how a celestial mage could turn their magic into an offensive power that was destructive in untrained hands. Arman shook his head to clear his mind of that depressing thought and changed the flowers in her room as he had been doing every other day.

Cristoff had been by every morning and night to check up on Lucy, but her mind was still trying to sort through everything that she'd been through. When Kaleb had told Arman what had been transpiring in her dreams he had accidentally shattered several glasses with his high pitched sound waves that had escaped the tight grasp he had on his magic. He had dispatched spies to see if could find out what the Warqueen of Joya, Sydelle, would want with a celestial mage and knew whatever it was didn't bode well for the poor girl. For now, she was safe and he would see to helping her recover in whatever capacity he could, but had Vander keeping an eye on her from the shadows.

None of her former guildmates could tell him much about her past, stating that they never hung out in the same circles of people. Everyone was surprised to find her without her team, especially Natsu. Laxus had talked to Erza and they had all just assumed that Lucy was with Natsu and she was the one that was keeping his magic under the radar because no one had heard a single thing about the two of them. Erza told Laxus that Juvia was with Gray in Iceberg, but didn't explain further about what they were doing there just that they were safe. Arman was quite curious about the former Heartfilia heiress and what had brought her to Fairy Tail, but all of his questions would have to wait until she awoke.

Arman sat beside the young woman on her bed and was holding her hand as he watched her smile in her sleep. Her blonde locks shined in the sunlight and her fair skin seemed to glow under its warmth. He squeezed her hand to let him know someone was with her and she tightened her hand around his in response. Her chest started to rise and fall more frequently, signaling that she might be waking soon. Her eyes fluttered a couple of times before they fully opened and sat up in the bed taking in the room before landing on him and widening slightly.

"Good day Lucy. My name is Arman and I am the father of some of the mages that rescued you. Do you remember much?" Arman asked in a quiet and calm voice as not to startle her. She used her spare hand to rub the sleep out of her eyes while the other was securely placed in his hand still. Lucy went to speak but found her voice to be stretchy and rubbed her throat. Arman handed her a glass of water that he poured with his free hand from the jug that was set on the nightstand for when she woke. She greedily downed the first two cups before blushing and looking away in embarrassment.

"What do you remember my dear?" The stranger's voice was oddly calm to the celestial mage and she couldn't figure out why it made her feel safe.

"I remember everything up until I was brought here. I was ripped from that awful dream and I remember seeing two of Bix's babies, but that's about it." Lucy frowned at not being able to remember anything else.

"Several of the White Sea guild mages, plus Laxus and the Thunder Legion, had heard from Cobra about your whereabouts and went to investigate and . . ."

"Is Cobra alright? White Sea guild, does that mean I'm in Bosco? Where are the . . ."

"Breath Lucy," chuckled Arman. "Cobra is just fine and is around the complex. I can send him up after you have eaten and showered if you like." Lucy smiled and nodded her head. "Yes you are in Bosco now and your former guildmates have all joined my son, Kaleb's, guild. Cobra hasn't said anything about joining yet, but I think he's waiting to see what your plans are."

"I . . . I don't know." Tears gathered in Lucy's eyes but she tried to hold them off and not show her emotions to this kind stranger. "I left the konzern after my father demanded I marry some ugly old man to further out the company name, then he died and joined my mom while I was sleeping for seven years, and the most recent place I had called home has been disbanded and I was left all alone." Lucy didn't mean to start spilling her feelings to Arman, but once she started she couldn't seem to stop and the small circles he was rubbing on her back were encouraging her to keep going.

"Let it all out, child. No one here will judge you."

"I tried to find everyone, but it was no use. I set out to train with my spirits instead. I need to be stronger so that I don't lose another person I care about. Tartaros seemed to take so much from so many people, but losing her was more than I could bear. I needed my team! I NEEDED NATSU!" Arman scooped her into his arms and let her cry on his shoulder. His heart ached for the heartbroken woman in his arms and he was even more curious about who she had lost in the battle.

"TINK!" Cobra yelled while charging into the room. He had heard her yelling, could feel her despair and needed to investigate what was wrong. He watched as Lucy peaked over her shoulder, her chocolate orbs filled with tears. He watched as her soul heaved in relief at finding that he was safe. Lucy turned so that she was facing the poison slayer, but still safely in Arman's embrace.

"Ho . . . How did you escape from the cage in Seven?"

"One of the guards was drunk while he was transporting me from the cave to my lovely traveling caravan," Cobra smirked when he saw Lucy's smile at his sarcasticness. "He might have had some assistance falling headfirst into the bars of that fuckn bird cage before I took his keys and unlocked my cuffs. After that, I, more than likely, placed everyone in a poison fog and left. I was in some random town, looking less than my stellar self when I dragged into the shadows and found myself in some random shit hole. The mind reader quickly sifted through my memories and brought before lightning bolt with new about your whereabouts. Rest is history." Lucy giggled as Cobra told his quick rendition of what had happened.

"But you're ok, right?"

"Right as rain Tink. Unless you're Juvia - that chick is more than a lil crazy." Lucy glared at Cobra for insulting her friend. "She can be your friend all you want, but she has some next level stalking shit that I'm sure Vander would be most impressed with. He pulls people into shadows and she appears in any amount of water anywhere - creepy as fuck!"

"I'm going to hop in the shower quickly. Will either of you be here to join me in some breakfast, err lunch?" Lucy looked around the room to see if she could find the time.

"I'll have Mr. Elan get some items ready for brunch for us. I'm not sure if anyone else will be joining us today, but we'll be prepared either way." Arman left the room and set out to talk to his chef. Lucy watched him leave and suddenly felt very alone again as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"I'm not going anywhere Tink. Go have a shower and I'll be here when you return." Lucy slowly crawled off the bed and walked into the bathroom. She set about getting herself ready before entering the scalding water. It felt so good to have a real shower and not just sponge clean her body. She let all of the grime and some of her stress wash down the drain and tried to focus on happier thoughts.  _I wonder why they all decided to join the White Sea guild or if they've heard from anyone else from Fairy Tail?_  Lucy found clean clothes on the bathroom counter, slipping on her undergarments before sliding into her royal blue halter top sundress. It had gold embellishments around the low V cut neckline, showing off her ample breasts, as well as along the hem of the dress which reached mid-thigh. The material was soft to the touch and felt amazing against her skin. Lucy threw her hair up in a messy bun and applied a small amount of mascara before joining Cobra in the bedroom.

"Arman's ready for us Tink if you want to get going." Cobra held out an arm for her and was rewarded with one of Lucy's dazzling smiles before she looped her arm in his. His dragon purred in delight at being able to his kin. Lucy followed the slayer's lead and was met with several amazing aromas before they entered the doors. Her mouth watered seeing all of the breakfast foods she could imagine on the large table.  _Oh, sweet Mavis! They have strawberry sauce! I am so drowning my french toast in it! Oh my, bacon with maple syrup and scrambled eggs with ketchup._  Cobra laughed at her internal monologue about food. They sat at the table and Arman told them to dig in, so the three of them did and ate in silence. The plates were cleared when they were finished and Lucy sat with her eyes closed humming in appreciation of Mr. Elan's cooking.

"LUCY!" a female shriek startled the blonde mage from her food coma.

"Evergreen!" Lucy stood up just in time to catch the elated fairy mage.

"I am so glad you are alright! We were all so worried because you have been sleeping, for like, eight days now." Lucy just laughed as she looked at all of Evergreen's discarded bags on the floor. "Oh! I went and did some shopping for you so that you'd have more than just this dress while you figured out your next steps. We totally have to go shopping as well, because the Boscan clothes are to die for."

"Sounds good. Maybe we can go tomorrow afternoon? I'd really just like to relax around here for the rest of the day and catch up."

"Whatever you want Lucy. The guys will be excited to see you at supper tonight and to know that you're ok." Evergreen smiled happily to have another girl around the estate and guild now.

"Just stay away from Red. He's a major flirt and will try absolutely anything to get into your pants." Cobra cautioned the celestial mage.

"Red?"

"He means my youngest son, Vander. He definitely stirs up the most trouble around here." Arman chuckled at the confused mage. "I am going to retire to my office to get some work done. I'll see you all at dinner time."

"Let's go put your clothes away. Cobra are you coming?"

"And listen to you two gush about clothes and boys? No way in hell!" Evergreen rolled her eyes and spun on her heel to gather the bags walking out of the room, not bothering to wait to see if Lucy followed.

"What are you going to do while we catch up?"  _Will you still be in the area or are you going to leave?_ Lucy couldn't help but be worried that he was going to leave her too just like everyone else had.

"I'm just going to hit the gym for a bit. I'll be back to talk to you before supper. No doubt Miss High Maintenance will need to powder her nose before we go and eat." Cobra rolled his eyes and watched as Lucy left.

"Hey Evergreen."

"Ever. Just call me Ever Lucy, please. Oh, I also have your keys too."

"Thanks Ever. I appreciate you holding onto them for me. So what brought all of you here? I thought you and Elfman would have stayed together." Lucy watched as the fairy mage's mood darkened and knew she had touched a sore spot. "You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want too."

"I need to tell someone," whispered Evergreen, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "The boys just know that we split up, but I never told them why and I am grateful that they never asked. When the guild disbanded Elfman and I got into a huge argument about what we wanted to do, so I told him that as much as I loved my team I loved him more and wanted to be with him. He said that his sisters were his priority and that they needed to come first no matter what and he didn't think he could be around me while dealing with them. That hurt more than I thought it would, but we were already on the rocks so I wasn't surprised that he used his sisters as an out in our relationship." Lucy hugged Evergreen and cried with her.  _I guess there is more than one forgotten fairy in Bosco._

"Bickslow mentioned that he and Laxus were heading to Bosco to see his family and maybe look into joining the guild his brother was the master of. He invited Freed and I along, but we were all going to try to hide from our own issues. None of us have talked about why we are here, but I am sure you'll hear about them all since you are an amazing listener."

"So how have you been doing in the Boscan culture? I wanted to come here to see and experience everything that the country had to offer, but couldn't seem to get any money saved."

"Now I wonder why that was?" Evergreen pointedly looked at Lucy who sheepishly smiled back. "Not like you were on the most destructive team that Fairy Tail has ever seen."

"I know," laughed Lucy. "I just really thought that they'd have my back no matter what."

"Well, now you have me! You'll have all of Arman's boys wrapped around your finger in no time at all too I'm sure." Evergreen smiled before looking at the time. "It's this late already! I need to get changed ready for supper, so I'll leave you to our resident poison sucker whom I'm sure is lurking nearby."

"I don't lurk you priss!" Cobra stated rounding the corner into Lucy's room. "You should probably go redo your make-up because it's running."

"My makeup isn't running." Evergreen was perplexed, but Cobra tossed a cup of water that was conveniently half full and sitting on her nightstand still onto her face. "You better go before you melt any further." The slayer covered his ears at her indignant screech and smiled happily as he watched her stomp out of the room.

"That wasn't very nice you know."

"Then why are you trying so hard not to laugh?" They stared at each other before Lucy broke into a fit of giggles and Cobra openly smiled. "I have been doing some thinking Tink."

"Oh no! Do I need to get a doctor to ensure you're brain doesn't explode?"

"Ha ha ha. I'm trying to be serious here you know." Lucy got herself under control and patiently waited for Cobra to continue. "I was thinking that maybe you and I should look to joining the guild here in Bosco."

"Why? You hate people and being part of, well, anything."

"This is mostly true, but I still want a place to call home. And if I am being honest my dragon won't be anywhere you aren't now that you're kin. You're pretty much stuck with me until the end of time." Lucy smiled at the maroon-haired mage.

"Well, at least I'll never be bored." Lucy sat on Cobra's lap and rested her head on his chest.

"Damn straight!" Cobra almost purred in contentment but didn't want to appear too soft. "We can talk to Kaleb about showing us around and then you can make a decision about what you want to do. The White Sea guild has been around for hundreds of years and is THE strongest guild in all the kingdoms. Not going to find anything better out there."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Lucy yawned suddenly feeling tired.

"Probably all of that emotional shit you've gone through today." He growled we Lucy pinched his arm. "You know we have a solid hour before we need to head down for supper. How about a nap?"

"Only if I get cuddles . . . like in Seven." Lucy lay down on the bed with Cobra wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"Anything you want Tink."


	4. Chapter 4

Lucy and Cobra woke from their hour nap feeling better than they had earlier and the fact that Cobra was even able to sleep baffled him still. He wasn't sure if it was because she was kin or because it was just Lucy but he wasn't complaining. The two moved in perfect sync around the room to freshen up before Lucy followed the poison slayer to the terrace where he smelled the food. They were greeted by Arman, Evergreen, and a man Lucy hadn't met yet but felt an instant connection with and walked over to him as he stood. He was easy as tall and broad as Laxus, but his smile and brilliant dark blue eyes told her of a kindness that she hadn't felt before. His shoulder-length black hair looked good against his tan skin and his open vest showed all of the riveting muscles. Lucy was pretty sure she forgot to breathe for a minute there.

"Figlia di Draco?" The man asked Lucy if she was the daughter of Draco because he could smell her celestial magic.

"Sì, nomen meum est Lucy. Figlio di Nurem?" Lucy asked the man if he was the son of Nurem since she felt a familiar power coming from the large man.

"Si. Cristoff est nomen meum." Cristoff introduced himself to Lucy

"Alla luce delle stelle ti rivendico come mio." Lucy placed a kiss on the man's chest as the same gold eight-point star that was on Cobra now showed up on Cristoff's upper left pectoral. Cristoff grabbed her right wrist and kissed the inside of it and where his lips once were was now a white waxing crescent moon with a pink stargazer lily within the crescent.

"Paulo stella you are now my kin." He wrapped her up in his arms and realized how much he felt like home.

"Sorry to interrupt, but what just happened?" Evergreen and Arman were sitting there looking quite perplexed, causing the other three mages to laugh.

"Tink had taken Cristoff as kin by placing an unbreakable celestial bond upon his person. She literally claimed him using starlight, which is the same as what she did with me." Cobra explained as he went to sit down.

"Now my little star will never be alone and will always have a family here in Bosco." Cristoff smiled and kissed Lucy's head who nuzzled into his chest.

"Does this mean I now have a new daughter now that she is kin? Arman asked with wide eyes and a goofy grin on his face.

"Yea Dad. You have another child to spoil rotten." Cristoff smiled at the man then handed Lucy over to him.

"You, my precious star will never have to be worried about being left behind again. I know you are suffering from the battle with Tartaros, the disbandment of Fairy Tail, and whatever happened to you before and during your capture, but know that every member of my family will be there to help you. Cristoff is my third oldest son, a Lunar dragon slayer and unstoppable healer."

"Plus with you being kin you shouldn't be affected by his moon drunkenness." Evergreen giggled from behind her fan watching Cobra smirk and Lucy raise an eyebrow. "When the full moon is out Cris gets a magic high and emits a shit tonne of sexual pheromones that brings all sort of people to him."

"I am usually locked up with several people to help ease my desires for three nights; the night before, during, and after the full moon. Unless Van is the one looking after me, then I cause huge orgies to happen all around me." Cristoff smiled at his father who shook his head.

"A horrible decision on my part that I will never repeat again." Arman laughed causing Lucy to look around at the four mages.

"Don't worry Tink. With some time you'll get used to the open sex talk and Boscan culture."

"So what do you have planned for after supper Dad?"

"Xally will be home and is hoping to head down to the beach to help with Kelpie Sea horse migration back into Boscan waters," Arman said putting Lucy in a chair next to him and scooping up some of the food Mr. Elan had brought in.

"Xally is one of Arman's adopted daughters and is also a water mage and a healer, but not to the extent Cristoff is. She works as a doctor at the Pelerno Hospital in the NICU finishing up her last year of schooling." Cobra filled in when he heard Lucy's unasked questions.

"Kelpie's migrate to our cooler waters in the summer to mate but return to the warmer waters around Midi during the winter months to raise their young. They have a horse head and two front legs with wider hooves to help swim, but where you'd normally see two back legs you see a tail. They are all different colors and sizes, but are ruled by the Stallion who is said to be the biggest and most brilliant looking stud." Cristoff explained further to Lucy's delight. "Xally goes to help make sure the foals don't get lost from their mother or that poacher stay away since their scales are worth a lot of jewels."

"That's amazing," whispered Lucy in awe. "Do you think I could go out and help her too?"

"But Lucy you can't swim in the deep waters like Xally can," Evergreen stated while she picked at her salad. Lucy snorted and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I can do a hell of a lot more than you think Ever. And you," she pointed to Cobra, "will be staying out of those memories." Cobra glared at Lucy as he went to listen to her soul only to be flung backward out of his chair. "Some things are private and I will not tell a soul until I'm ready."

"Damn Tink. When did you figure out how to create a mental fortress like that?"

"Capricorn helped me train before I was captured. Wanted to make sure I could protect myself so he trained me in hand to hand as well as mental barriers, Virgo helped me with my controlling my whip better, and Taurus helped me with building up my stamina. Plus a couple of other new surprises along the way." Lucy smirked while finishing up her strawberry cheesecake.

"So a family trip down to the beach it is then!" Arman exclaimed happily. "I don't know if anyone else will be joining us, but we should change into clothes that we don't mind getting wet then we'll meet at the back entrance and head out together." Lucy and Evergreen went back to her room and Virgo appeared with an emerald green two-piece bikini with a canary yellow wrap for the fairy mage and a royal blue two-piece bikini with a white wrap for her keyholder. They two girls excitedly changed and were giggling when they met up with everyone else in the foyer. Lucy noticed a petite woman with long black hair talking to Cristoff and assumed that it must be Xally, but she was surprised to see the mahogany-haired man with a braid over his shoulder talking with Arman.  _Are all of his children drop dead gorgeous and sexy as fuck?_  Cobra wrapped an arm around her shoulder laughing at his kin's thoughts.

"Lucy I would like you to meet my oldest and only biological son, Farron. He's a sound mage and works at the embassy with me. Farron and Xally this is your new sister since Cristoff has claimed her as kin." Arman smiled as Xally vaulted herself into the blonde mage.

"Zadi is going to flip when she learns about you! We have been drowning in testosterone for years and are more than ready for more women to be part of the family." Xally enthusiastically told her new sister.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lucy." Farron grabbed her hand and pressed it to his forehead before kissing the inside of her wrist. "A hand to the forehead how we welcome people and a kiss to the inside of the wrist is how we welcome family. Unless your Xally, then you try to take out family at the knees."

"Hey! It's not my fault I'm the smallest Pradesh and you are all fucking giants." Xally pouted beside Lucy, but Lucy linked her arm in Xally's and smiled into her aquamarine eyes.

"We have some Kelpie's to go help!"

"Right you are! Off to the beach we go." Xally jumped onto Cristoff's back and yelled, "Onward donkey! Moon jump us to the beach."

"Xally do I look like a donkey."

"Nope, just an ass." She smirked as everyone else laughed at her joke, including Cristoff.

"You're lucky I love you Xal." Cristoff made everyone hold hands as he moon jumped them to the beach. Lucy was surprised to find how similar it was to when Laxus used his lighting to get them places, granted he'd only had to do that with her and Bickslow once. The waxing gibbous moon was high in the sky surrounded by the beautiful twinkle of millions of stars. The calm waters of the sea looked like the night sky was painted onto it, the whole thing took Lucy's breath away.

"So what's the plan?" Lucy asked after she stopped staring at the scene before her.

"Cristoff will take the four of us to that large rock a few miles out so that we can watch everything from above and Cristoff can tell me if he hears any of them in danger, hurt, or going off on their own. We are going to use Cobra as a stand-in for Kaleb since he'll be able to hear me if I need it. Evergreen I'll get you to patrol the skies and keep a look out for poachers and get rid of them," Xally evilly smiled to Evergreen who returned it in a conniving manner. "Dad will stay on the shore with Farron and use their sound magic to keep Kelpies away from the shore and the chance of beaching themselves. Lucy, you are with me in the water. Let's move out team!"

Everyone took off towards their locations and sat there waiting for Xally to give the command, but the water was still. They all sat around for a half hour waiting for anything to happen. Lucy had learned that Xally had been doing this for seven years now with a goal of meeting the stallion one day since no one else had seen him before. She had started doing this when she had been walking along the beach around midnight since she couldn't sleep and found a Kelpie mare on the beach. She helped the sea creature back to the ocean with her magic and stayed there all night to help another three that had come too close to the shore. She started researching their migratory patterns and how frequently the groups came around. Turns out the stallion liked to keep his group together so the three hundred or so Kelpies traveled through on one night and one night only. Xally had it down to a T now.

"I hear them coming," Cristoff said standing upon the rock, so Evergreen shot a green flare up to signal Farron and Arman to start their end of the process, then went to patrol for poachers. Xally jumped into the water and waited for Lucy to join who jumped in shortly after her. Once Lucy hit the water she called forth her Aquarius star dress and started to swim after the water mage. Things were going smoothly when Cobra called back to the two women and telling them that Evergreen had found poachers that had a couple in nets and unfortunately there were too many for her to help on her own. Xally sped off intent on wrecking havoc on the men who thought they could get away with this, so Lucy went to help the captured Kelpies.

Lucy found two mares and three foals trapped within the net but was having a hard time cutting the ropes loose. Xally sent a huge wave onto the boat that tossed all the inhabitants off, while Evergreen started to throw fairy bombs at it with the hope of sinking it. Xally told Evergreen to go back to Cobra so that he could relay messages since she was their fastest mode of transportation right now. Lucy had managed to get the last piece cut before the ship began to sink deeper into the water, but part of the net wrapped itself around a foal and was dragging it down. Xally immediately went after it followed by Lucy after she made sure the other four were free. Cobra was listening to the two women and began to tap his foot. He didn't like this, not one bit. He could feel Xally start to panic and then felt her mind go blank.

"Ever you need to go back for Xally. Something isn't right because I can't hear her anymore!" Cristoff looked over to where the girls once were, extremely worried. Sending a prayer to any deity whom would listen to keep his sisters safe. Evergreen was flying in circles around where the four Kelpies were waiting for the last foal, but couldn't see her two friends anywhere. Suddenly the bright blue hair of Aquarius came to the surface holding an unconscious Xally in her arms.

"A piece of wood from the boat struck her and knocked her out. Princess kept her safe and alive, but the healer should look at her." The mermaid said as she helped Evergreen hold her down. "Oh no. This isn't good!" With a poof, the spirit was sent back to its realm. Evergreen hovered there for a minute before she raced to get Xally to her brother. Cristoff was relieved to see Xally safe, but the amount of blood coming from her head was concerning so he moon jumped the four of them back to the beach to heal her. Arman and Farron came running wanting to know what happened, so Evergreen told then what Aquarius told her.

"Where's Tink at? I can't hear here anymore!" Cobra was starting panic the moment he realized that he couldn't hear a single thing from her.

"Ugh. Why is my head throbbing?"

"You were hit by a piece of wood from the boat, so Lucy had Aquarius bring you to the surface." Evergreen quietly told the water mage.

"So where is she now?" No one said a word. "Where is LUCY?!"

"Cris I think you should . . ."

"Ah, right. Sorry, Xal." Cristoff placed a hand on her head and made her fall asleep, but not before she flipped him the bird. "Now what?"

"Lucy is resourceful, just give her a few minutes and have faith." Evergreen suggested while twisting her fan in her hands. They all waited with baited breaths before the waters began to ripple before them. Out of the water rose the largest Kelpie that had ever seen. He looked to be twenty feet long and weighed about two thousand pounds with a jet black mane, navy blue torso, and head with glowing green eyes. The scales on his tail were beautiful dark shades of green, blue, and purple that glimmered under the moonlight. As he turned from facing them to his side they saw Lucy weakly holding onto the giant seahorse and waving at them slightly.

"LUCY!" They all exclaimed and raced to the water only to be splashed at by the beast. He did the same thing when they tried to get closer to the celestial mage. Lucy patted his back to calm him before sitting up and slipping into the water so that the male Kelpie could steady her with his muzzle. The two slayers listened to what she was whispering to him and were completely shocked. She kissed the animal then walked the rest of the way to the shore when it was shallow enough to do so and was picked up in Farron's strong arms. Cristoff came to look over at him and Lucy just brushed him off.

"The only that might need healing is my right ankle." Everyone turned to look at her foot and was shocked to see it rubbed raw and bleeding profusely.

"What happened down there luce stellare?" Farron's calm voice washed over her, watching Cristoff try to heal her ankle.

"I was able to get four out of the five Kelpies free of the net, but one of foal's tail was caught in the net when the ship started to go down. Xally raced after the poor baby and I eventually went after her. The ship seemed to break apart under the pressure of the water and a board flew out of nowhere knocking Xally out, so I called a spirit for help and made sure Xally was taken to Ever." Lucy yawned while explaining what had happened. "I went to helped to free the Kelpie, but my ankle got tangled in the net and it started to pull me down fast. I started to see spots and was losing the grip I had on my magic, so with what I had left I used the water magic and sent out a distress call. I never expected the stallion to be my rescuer though, and I am not sure how he got me out but I feel as though he used his super sharp tail to cut the rope away."

"But we heard you talking to it as if it was talking to you. How does that work?" Cobra asked because he was mostly confused with that.

"Aquarius is a mermaid of the sea and when I borrow her powers to change into my stardress I am able to use her water magic, but can also talk to any creature of the water." Lucy yawned again, her eyes felt heavy suddenly.

"What the hell is stardress Tink? Tink?" He looked at her in Farron's arms to find her soundly asleep and sighed knowing he has to wait until morning to get that answer.

"Here, dad you take Xally because she's going to be right pissed when she wakes up to realize she missed seeing the stallion." Cristoff handed his sister to his father and picked Lucy up from Farron's arms doing a healing scan to see if he missed anything. "I'll moon jump us back home, but I'm going to spend the night with Lucy in case she suffers from any dreams so that I can help her sort it out if need be since she won't be in a healing sleep anymore." No one could argue with Cristoff's logic so the all linked hands and headed home from the beach. Once there they all went their separate ways with Cristoff bringing Lucy to his room, but wasn't sure what to about changing her out of her wet bikini and wrap.

"Excuse me Master Cristoff, but perhaps I could be of service?" Cristoff turned to see a maid standing in the middle of his room and was hoping this was one of her spirits.

"Virgo?"

"Yes, Master Cristoff?"

"Just Cristoff please and yes if you wouldn't mind helping our paulo stella into some dry bedtime clothes I would be grateful."

"Of course." Virgo bowed slightly, gently bringing Lucy to the washroom where she put her in a tank top and shorts. Virgo couldn't help the smile on her face seeing that her Princess was slowly beginning to heal her heart and mind from the past several months. In no time at all, she would be back to her normal self and figuring out why she was kidnapped at all.

"She all ready Cristoff." Virgo played Lucy on the king bed and pulled the covers over her. "Anything else you need tonight?"

"No thank you, Virgo. I'll see you around." Virgo poofed back to the celestial world and Cristoff put on clean boxers before crawling into bed and pulling his kin to his chest. He had only known her for a few short hours and already she had almost been taken from him and that didn't sit well with him.  _Why do I feel like you are going to a magnet for all kinds of trouble, good, and bad paulo stella?_  Cristoff drifted off into a light slumber in case Lucy called out to him while she slept.

* * *

**Words in Italian:**

Figlia di Draco - daughter of Draco

Figlio di Nurem - son of nurem

Si - yes

Alla luce delle stelle ti rivendico come mio - by the light of the stars I claim you

Paulo stella - little star

Luce stellare - starlight


	5. Chapter 5

Lucy was sitting in the cave trying her best not to fall asleep and have her mind tormented again, but she also knew something wasn't right. She shouldn't be here anymore and these men couldn't harm her either, but why? What had happened that had caused them to disappear like that? She shivered from the wind gusting into the cave, even though the sun was out it was still very cool in the damp musky cave. A shadow blocked some of the light that was at the entrance, so Lucy looked up to see a tall black figure there. She didn't have a clue who it was, but the voice that spoke next sent tremors through her body and Lucy covered her ears with her hands to try to block out the creepy hollow voice. "I will find you. You both will be mine." It kept repeating over and over again and Lucy couldn't help the scream that escaped her lips.

Her eyes were open and she could tell that she was now in a room, but her eyes were darting around so much while she continued to scream. A black waterfall of hair cascaded around her face as gentle dark blue eyes gazed into her own, whispering to her soul that she was safe. He brought his forehead to hers and it all seemed to click into place. She was sharing a bed with Cristoff, whom was one of the people that had rescued her from her hellish prison and she had gone to save Kelpies with him and his family. She sat up and Cristoff moved so that she could do so.

"Easy paulo stella. Take some deep breaths and know that you are safe." Cristoff held her as he stroked her hair soothingly and let her cry out her fears. "What happened Lucy?" Lucy just shook her head, because she wasn't ready to relive what had happened just yet. Still trying to rationalize it within her own mind.

"It's almost 7 am, so why don't we head down for a quiet breakfast before the rest of the household wakes up?" Lucy gave Cristoff a small smile before slipping on some slippers and sweater since the morning was cool. Cristoff, wearing only his boxers, walked with Lucy to the kitchen where Mr. Elan was already preparing breakfast for the household.

"Good morning Cristoff. Who is this lovely lady on your arm?" Mr. Elan inquisitively asked the lunar slayer.

"This is one of Bickslow's friends from Fairy Tail, Lucy. She'll be staying with us for the foreseeable future."

"So is she your . . ."

"Kin. Lucy here is my kin and I have claimed her as so." Cristoff said quickly before their chef could say anything out of line.

"Well as long as you are taking care of this beautiful woman than that's all that matters. You will be a joy to have permanently around this place. Too many little boys running around I tell ya." Lucy giggled as Cristoff scowled at the older man. "What can I get you to eat my dear?"

"Who is Cristoff taking care . . . of?" Laxus had rounded the corner and instantly saw red. There tucked into the lunar dragon slayer's bare chest was his mate. His Lucy! She stood there in barely their shorts and an oversized sweater all snuggly with another man. His dragon was roaring, demanding that the challenge for the rights to their mate.

"Laxus . . . are you alright?" Lucy quietly asked the dragon slayer. She was confused as to why he was acting so strangely around her right now.

"Fine," he grunted out before exiting the kitchen area.

"What was that about?" Lucy looked at Cristoff, who was glaring at the spot that the lightning slayer had just left.

"I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I'm going to find out sooner or later I'm sure." Cristoff recognized the look that he had been given by Laxus and knew there was a good chance that he'd have to fight him.

"As I was saying earlier, what can I get you two to eat?" Mr. Elan asked, trying to divert some of the tension that had built up in the room.

"I really would love a strawberry smoothie, if you're able to make it?"

"Able to make it? Of course, I am able to make it my dear and it'll be the best smoothie you've ever tasted!"

"I don't know. I've had some pretty good smoothies while in Fairy Tail." Lucy smiled at Cristoff who had a twinkle of mischief in his eyes as well as they teamed up to goad the poor elderly chef.

"Oh, just you wait. I will not be outdone!" Mr. Elan set about gathering ingredients to make a strawberry smoothie that would knock the socks off their guest. Lucy giggled into Cristoff's chest as they watched the man frantically run around the kitchen. Within minutes, he handed to two of them a large strawberry smoothie each and waited with a smug look for them to taste it. Lucy sucked on the straw and her eyes widened as flavor exploded onto her tongue.

"I have never tasted anything so wonderful in all my life." Lucy blissfully smiled as she continued to suck the contents of her smoothie back.

"You will report to this kitchen every morning that you are in this house and I will have this drink waiting for you Lucy." Lucy hugged the man before beaming up at Cristoff, ready to take on the day. Her dream was temporarily forgotten as she started to drag the hulking slayer back to their rooms so that she could get changed. She wanted him to take her to the guild and get some training in since it had been so long since she had been able to use her magic freely.

"Stop dragging your feet, Cris! I want to get to the guild before it's too busy."

"Lucy the guild doesn't start to wake up until 9 am, minus the early birds."

"Well we're already up, so let's make the most of the day! Besides Xally and I are going to the cove to check on the Kelpies and maybe, just maybe, I can convince the stallion out for a brief visit. I feel bad that Xally never got to meet his last night, so I'm going to try and help her see him." Lucy was bouncing on the balls of her feet as she quickly went into her room and threw on a pink sports bra and black racerback tank with pink spandex shorts. She quickly brushed her hair, tied it into a high ponytail and braided it so that the tip rested on her lower back. She rushed into Cristoff's room to see him clad in black shorts and was just throwing on a dark blue muscle shirt on. Lucy watched the way his muscles moved as he put on his shirt. Yes, he was her kin, but she wasn't blind when it came to how hot his body was - there just wasn't any sexual attraction to the man.

"You ready slowpoke?" Lucy asked from the doorway.

"How about a race to the guild? First one there gets to decide on the first activity for training today?"

"Just give me one minute." She pulled out Pyxis' key and used his stardress. She was in a red morph suit that had feathers covering all of her private parts and light blue streak heading up her sides. On her head was a silver hat that doubled as a compass. "Ready."

"Set"

"Go" "Go"

Cristoff smirked to himself knowing that he would be able to beat her there with his moon jumping ability. Something he was extremely grateful for when it came to missions or pulling pranks. Emzadi and Vander were getting really close to beating him with their solar jumping skill and shadow movement, but he still held the title as fastest. He stood outside of the training grounds and heard what sounded like a battle already taking place  _It must be Kaleb training with one of his teammates._ Cristoff pushed open one large door to find that it was indeed Kaleb fighting, but he wasn't expecting Lucy to be his opponent. She was keeping Kaleb at bay with a black whip, but he was too distracted by her current outfit. She was wearing a black and white cowhide printed bikini top, with matching sleeves from her hands to her elbows, gold gloves, left leg was covered in tight black leather while the right leg was a short, held together by a belt. Her hair was in two large buns on either side of her head and she looked fierce.

"What took you so long Cris?" Lucy asked as she cracked the whip in Kaleb's direction, a smirk plastered to her lips.

"Ho . . . How the hell did you get here before me?" Cristoff asked beyond belief.

"Looks like someone just lost their title." Kaleb laughed as he managed to grab Lucy's whip and wrench it out of her hand. The platinum-haired mage charged at Lucy then with his sword in hand, planning on taking her out. He hadn't been able to see her attacks and that had caught him by surprise, but he was also glad to see that he'd be tested without the use of his mind-bending magic. He was swinging down on her head when a light formed and his sword collided with a giant ax. The thing was massive and the small mag shouldn't have been able to wield it with such ease, but here she was doing what he thought was impossible, again.

"Damn Lucy. It takes a lot to surprise Kaleb, but you're doing an amazing job." And that was the truth as he watched two members from Kaleb's team, Thane and Beck, watch the match along with another dozen or so mages. They were all in awe of the sexy blonde that was challenging their Guildmaster, but a common theme among all the men and women was the smell of arousal. Whether it was from Lucy, Kaleb, or both he wasn't sure, but he could easily see why. Based on Lucy's outfit and his shirtless brother you could see all their muscles move and watch Lucy's ass and breasts bounce with their precise movements.

Kaleb was coming in with a killing blow of his elbow to her stomach that would surely knock her on her ass and end their spar, but she disappeared into the ground.  _What the hell?_ He began looking around for the petite blonde when the felt the earth beneath his feet rumble and then explode around him. He was able to move out of the way just in time but had come really close to being sucked into a thirty-foot hole. Lucy stood in a maid uniform now and a growing smirk on her face. She reached a hand down to Kaleb as her outfit changed back into the normal clothes she had planned on leaving the estate in.

"How about we reschedule this spar for later? Cristoff did promise that the winner could pick the first activity today and now that I'm warmed up I'm ready for a little hand-to-hand combat."

"Yo Tink," Cobra yelled from across the field. "How about you take your mental shields down. I had one hell of a time finding you this morning. Scared the ever loving piss outta me until I talked to Mr. Elan. Besides, you still owe all of us an explanation about yesterday and everyone is waiting in Goldie Locks' office." Kaleb glared at the poison slayer but Cristoff and Lucy just laughed at him.

"Raincheck paulo stella?"

"Sure thing. Let's not keep everyone waiting on us." Lucy waited for the two men to lead the way as she followed them to Master Kaleb's office. Everyone from last night's Kelpie trip was there, and in addition, there was Freed and Bickslow.

"Hey, Cosplayer," Bickslow said with his tongue hanging to one side.

"Bixy! Babies" "Cosplayer" "Lucy" "Luce"

Lucy dived into the extremely tall seith mages arms and hugged the man to death. She had missed her cuddles with Bickslow while they had been separated, but she also missed her cuddles with the babies, especially little Pipi. She smiled at Freed who smiled back at her. Both of the Thunder Legion men were extremely happy to see Lucy happy and healthy.

"Where's Laxus at?" Lucy asked looking around the room for the large blonde slayer.

"I'm here." Laxus came through the door and went to stand at the back of the room. Cristoff looked at Kaleb asking him if he was able to confirm his suspicions, Kaleb just smiled in return and that was all the confirmation he needed. He had been right in thinking that Laxus and Lucy were mates and he was threatened by Cristoff's presence around her.  _If he thinks I'm bad, just wait until Van gets here. Laxus will be in a whole world of emotions in he catches on to what's going on._  Kaleb snorted at Cristoff's line of thinking and knew that the lightning slayer was going to have to fess up sooner to Lucy if Vander was around, or maybe he would try to out-stubborn his youngest brother. Either way there would be a tonne of entertainment for all parties involved, and hopefully little heartbreak.

"Lucy it's officially nice to meet you. I am Master Kaleb of the White Sea Guild." He kissed her and held it to his forehead in greeting and she blushed slightly.  _Are all of the Pradesh men this ridiculously handsome?_  Lucy had just fought the Mindbender mage shirtless, so she knew exactly what was underneath everything and those tight white leather pants didn't mask much either. Kaleb laughed. "I like you Stellina."

"Well, it's nice to meet you as well Master." Lucy smiled brightly at the mage.

"So I believe you have some more explaining to do, especially around this whole stardress thing. I have never heard about it in my life or from my training at Academe Celestine." Kaleb stated and looked around at everyone.

"Stardress is a newer acquired magic that I was gifted with. Power manifests itself in the form of a wardrobe change, in any case in the form of a dress centered around my chosen Spirit's own wardrobe. By adopting the powers and appearance of a Spirit I also adopt a portion of their powers, being able to make use of their magic like it's my own." Lucy explained to everyone who was in the room.

"So today you used Taurus and Virgo while battling Kaleb, but who did you use to find the guild and beat me here?" Cristoff asked the blonde woman.

"I called upon Pyxis. He's my compass spirit and handles directions quite well."

"And beating Cris to the guild?" Bickslow asked the woman who had begun to fidget, obviously not wanting to share this bit.

"Well, you see . . . I might have learned how to open gates to space jump while I was out training." Lucy looked around the room at the slack jaws of everyone and blushed at their stares. "It's really not that big of a deal."

"Lucy, my dear," Arman interjected. "That is a very impressive ability, that no other celestial mage has ever been able to do and is no small feat. If you are planning on joining the guild I would highly suggest you undergo the S Class or SS Class exams. Such untapped potential and strong celestial mage would do the White Sea guild proud. Not to mention it would keep you in Pelerno and closer to me figlia della stelle." Lucy blushed at Arman's compliment and was internally swooning at being labeled one of his daughters.

"So the fish lady last night was Aquarius then, right?" Evergreen asked Lucy, remembering her helping with Xally. "And you were using her stardress in the water as well?" Lucy smiled at Evergreen and nodded her head yes while locking away the fact that it was actually Gemini.

"Damn Lucy, you really are the Cosplay Queen now," cackled Bickslow. "With all those keys you'll be able to have many costumes to parade around in and I bet they are all sexy as hell!"

"I don't know about all of them, but the two she had on while fighting me will fulfill many of our spectator's wet dreams. If she joins the guild then everyone will want a piece of her." Kaleb smirked at Cristoff, who smiled at their plan to try and bring Laxus out of his shell. The lightning slayer just stood there with his arms crossed and a permafrown on his face. "First we'll give you some time to explore the city and guild to give you time to decide, but I really do hope you take our offer seriously. Same goes for your Cobra. I'd love to have a fourth dragon slayer in our guild."

"Lucy I would like you to join me tomorrow to go over some of the Bosco's culture, traditions, and the like," Farron suggested, knowing that Lucy had the basics covered with the way she was brought up.

"That would be amazing Farron. Thank you!"

"If we are done chit-chatting Lucy and I have a date with some Kelpies!" Xally grabbed Lucy's hand and made their way out of the room. "Thane do you have a quick minute to take us to the cove?" Xally yelled as she entered the guild's second in command's office. His kind eyes smiled up at the youngest Pradesh daughter and her blonde friend. "Kaleb will catch you up on everything Lucy. Please, Thane?" The mage's laugh was very melodic as he nodded his head to the squealing mage.

"Hang on tight ladies." Thane pulled the girls in tight and teleported them to the cove. "Do you need me to pick you ladies up later?"

"No thanks, Thane. I'm going to show Lucy around town before we head back to the estate." Thane bowed his head briefly before leaving.

"He reminds me of Freed in a sense."

"Thane is part of Kaleb's elite team and runs the guild when he's away. He's married with their first child on the way, I believe. He's a total sweetheart!" gushed Xally as the two made their way down the rocks. There at the bottom of the cove where all of the Kelpies from the day before. The foals were roaring around in the water as their mothers looked on from close to shore. Lucy stardressed into her Aquarius form and walked into the water and called for the stallion, hoping that he'd make an appearance. The magnificent beast rose to the surface of the water and Lucy beckoned him closer to the shore. Xally was in awe. He was beautiful and everything that she hoped and more. Lucy waved her over and Xally dropped her dress and walked into the cool water of the cove.

"Xally I would like to introduce you to the Kelpie alpha and stallion. This is Xally and she has been watching over you for the past seven years and making sure no harm has come to your family." The stallion's eyes bore into Xally's aquamarine ones and he bowed his head low to the mage and them swam closer to her. "Put your hand out. He wants to imprint with you, so he'll recognize you going forward. Oh and I'm supposed to tell you that you're welcome to the cove anytime that you wish."

"Thank you for the privilege." Xally smiled at the stallion, her heart was so full from this experience. The stallion bowed to Lucy and went back to patrolling the waters. "Lucy that was amazing! Thank so much."

"Anytime Xally. So what's on the agenda next?"

"We're going shopping in Pelerno where we're going to meet up with Emzadi. She called this morning to let me know she was back and after chatting with dad she's super excited to meet you, sorella stellare."

* * *

_**Italian Words** _

Stellina - little star

Figlia della stelle - daughter of the stars

Sorella stellare - star sister


	6. Chapter 6

Laxus had stormed out of Master Kaleb's office and was hell-bent on getting the fuck out of the guild. Away from his supposed mate and all of the men who seemed to want to fuck her with their eyes. If watching Cristoff with her in the kitchen wasn't bad enough now he had to contend with Kaleb battling her and making goo-goo eyes at her because she had impressed him on the battlefield. Then there was Farron who was opting to give her lessons on Boscan culture, but if he brought a Suddepah into the mix he was going string the eldest Pradesh up by his balls. Xally was totally loving having her around and he was pretty sure that Emzadi would feel the exact same way, maybe even claim her as kin. Then there was Vander. That sneaky little shit had better not get within five feet of Lucy or he would be electrocuting his shadowy ass. At least he didn't have to worry about Bickslow crushing on Lucy, just their ridiculously weird and open brother-sister bond they had going on.

Laxus had to know Lucy for several years now and couldn't understand why his dragon chose her and why now? What made her so damn special now that his dragon wanted her to be his mate? He knew that once the smell or touch of their mate awakened the dragon nothing could be done, but he had no idea how to woo someone like Lucy. He sure as shit wasn't all fucking rainbows and sunshine, plus how do you tell someone that you're their mate after being caged and mentally tortured for months. Laxus heaved a heavy sigh. He wished he could talk to Gramps about all of this, at least the pervy geezer would have some idea what to do or say to help him.

Laxus had decided that a run was in order and then he had a shower and checked into the guild to see if there were any missions that he had been chosen to go on. His name didn't appear under any of the job requests, so he would have to find another way to kill time and stay away from Lucy until he could figure his shit out. He watched as a pretty redhead with blue eyes smiled seductively at him, but unfortunately, his dragon only had eyes for one now and the solo act was getting rather boring. Hell, he didn't even know if Blondie had ever had sex before or if he'd be dealing with a virgin and if that was the case he was going straight to Bickslow for help because he had no idea what to do in that area. Laxus ran a hand through his hair and ignored the redhead to head to the weight room. Maybe if he lifted some weights it would calm his mind and he could focus on literally anything else besides Lucy being his mate.

* * *

Lucy and Xally were giggling as their waiter tripped over his own feet and dropped drinks all over the floor. Lucy felt bad for the poor boy and helped him pick up the cups and clean the mess up since her boobs were part of the distraction. Xally watched with a smile as Lucy flitted about the bar like she fit in, and deep in her heart, she knew that Lucy would fit perfectly into Boscan society. She already held the regal air from growing up in an heiress in Fiore, so now then just needed to keep chipping away at her prudish shell and get her to embrace being Boscan. Xally knew she was doing an alright job, but with Emzadi's help, they'd crack that thing wide open.

"Sorry about that Xally. I just couldn't let that poor boy suffer at my expense."

"Well the Boscan clothes you are currently in aren't helping matters, add your pale skin and blonde hair and you're pretty much a delicacy in these parts. I'm actually quite surprised that no one had approached us yet asking to share pleasure with you." She really was quite stumped as to why no-one had come falling at her feet. She was a knock out in the skin tight navy blue halter dress with a scooped back that rested mid-thigh and a pair of strappy black wedges. If she didn't know any better she would have thought that someone was warding away unwanted attention.

"I'm okay not having any male attention right now in all honesty," Lucy said as she drank her strawberry daiquiri. "I am very thankful for retail therapy though. Nothing makes me feel better than a new wardrobe to match my new home."

"You really mean that Lucy?" Xally's eyes were wide as she stared into the blonde's brown eyes. "You've decided to stay here and join the guild and stay with the family?"

"Yea. I made my decision while watching you with the Kelpie's this afternoon." Lucy smiled at the teary-eyed black haired mage. "I'm a mage without a guild and a woman without a family, which is something your family has already offered to give me. At first, I thought it was selfish and I didn't want to inconvenience anyone, but then I realized that Arman, Cristoff, and Kaleb wouldn't have mentioned anything about it if they weren't serious. I'm planning on talking to Cobra about it tonight and hopefully, I can get his sneaky ass to stick around too." The girls giggled and Xally grabbed Lucy's hands in her own.

"I know I can't take you in like Cristoff and Cobra did to claim you as kin, but I want you to know that I already think of you as a sister." Xally had tears in her eyes and Lucy felt her own start to well up. "I know I've never been alone with how large my family is, but I also know I'm not the strongest mage in the family and it's always left me . . . feeling out of place. I don't have any special skills or abilities, so that was why I chose medicine. That way I could make a difference in everyone's lives and be a water mage with minor healing capabilities helps a lot in the emergency bays."

"Oh, Xally!" Lucy's bright smile instantly made Xally feel better. "Believe me when I say that I feel what you're going through. I was on Team Natsu for a long time and was always bringing up the rear when it came to feats of strength and power. After the battle with Tartaros, I watched everything I knew and loved, fall apart before my very eyes. I had tracked everyone I could find for a couple months and reached out to them, but most were busy dealing with their own despair that I finally gave up and went in search of work."

"Will you ever tell anyone what happened during Tartaros Lucy?" Xally gripped Lucy's hands tighter, letting her know that she was here for her.

"One day I will be ready, but in all honesty what happened then is more traumatizing than what happened while I was captured." Lucy sighed and looked out the window as happy faces passed by the bar they were sitting at. "I've been captured many times, granted I am really fucking hoping that stops soon, and even though they raped me in my dreams a part of me knew it wasn't real. I also know that Cris helped me last night and will continue to do so until he thinks my mind is ready, but I tend to bounce back fast. And if you ever need someone to talk to, with an unbiased opinion I'll always be here for my sister." Xally was toast. She thought she had been doing an alright job not having a complete meltdown, but hearing Lucy say that broke the dam and the tears rushed forward with such a force that they were falling into her margarita. Lucy was off her chair and enveloping the black haired mage in her arms so fast that you'd barely seen her move. She just let Xally cry out all of her insecurities until she was finished and then she excused herself to fix her make up.

"I've been thinking Xally, about what you said about claiming me as a sister like the two slayers have," Lucy said thoughtfully as they walked down the street. "We still can do that."

"I don't understand."

"Let's get tattoos! I already know what my mark looks like from being claimed by Cristoff and Cobra, so we'd just need to create a design that is all you." Lucy smiled brightly, proud of herself, and watched the look of understanding cross her face.

"Lucy that's brilliant! I'll call Tao up and see if he has time before I head back to work at the end of the week." Xally side hugged the celestial mage and the pep in her step had returned. "We'd better get to the salon or Zadi will think we stood her up. Let's go." Xally grabbed Lucy's wrist and started dragging her through the stone streets of Pelerno, watching as everything became a blur. They were approaching a very high-class establishment when the young mage started waving her hand and a woman in front of the store.

There stood one of the most beautiful women that Lucy had ever seen. Her blonde waist length hair flowed around her in beautiful natural waves that contrasted with her gorgeous tanned skin. Her most stunning feature though had to be her orange eyes, so intense and soft all at the same time. She was wearing a red strapless maxi dress that looked good with her six-foot curvaceous body.  _I may not have a thing for women, but damn if I wouldn't expand my horizons because of her. The Pradesh siblings could very well be my undoing and end to a very long dry spell._

"Zadi! It's so good to see you." The shorter mage hugged her sister whom in turn spun her around in circles laughing the entire time.

"I'm glad you're able to get some R and R Xal. Feels like forever since we've had a girls spa day." Emzadi looked Lucy up and down before she smiled mischievously. "This is the woman Dad and the boys have been talking about?" Xally nodded her head in confirmation. "Has Van met her yet?"

"Nope. But I guarantee that he's going to stir shit up when he gets back from his reconnaissance mission." Xally glanced back at her sister with a knowing smirk and Lucy smiled at the sisters.

"I'm Emzadi. I'm a second gen solar dragon slayer. It's nice to meet you, Lucy." Lucy smile started to drop when Emzadi came in close to her and placed a chaste kiss to her lips. Lucy blushed at what she perceived as an intimate gesture.

"She's only been in Bosco for a couple days Zadi. She doesn't know all of our greetings and now she looks like a tomato," whined Xally. "Farron is taking her under his wing tomorrow to help her get situated and then we need to go clubbing and get her some male exposure I think."

"Xal I love the way your pretty little mind works! I'll contact Madi and let her know that the Pradesh family will be making an appearance Friday night. Now let get out nails and hair done. I could use some good gossip if either of you has any." The three women walked into the salon ready to be primped and pampered.

"Well, Farron and Freed are back together now that Freed has accepted his need to be with Farron. I didn't think he'd be that stubborn." Xally sighed as her feet soaked in a basin. Pedicures could solve all the problems of the world, she was pretty sure.

"Well, I'm beginning to wonder if there isn't something going on between Cobra and Ever. The way they bicker is crazy!" Lucy said with her eyes closed as an  _esthetician_  started working on her feet as well.

"I know right!" Emzadi exclaimed. "You can practically taste the sexual tension between those two. You think she's his mate?"

"I don't know, but I can sooo not wait to find out," Lucy exclaimed as the three women cheersed their mimosas.

* * *

Evergreen sat in a lounger off the deck catching some rays from the warm Boscan sunshine with Freed and Bickslow. Currently the seith mage and she were trying to get details out of the rune mage about his relationship with the eldest Pradesh boy. Bickslow had caught him doing the walk of shame early this morning when he was getting ready to head out to practice his acrobatics. He couldn't wait for Vander to get back so he had someone to practice with, and after watching Lucy spar with Kaleb today he also wanted to approach her about training. You could tell she was a dancer and with breasts as fucking big as hers was there was no way she'd be a good melee fighter, but acrobatics now that was something he was quite sure she could kick ass and take names with.

"Awe come on Freed! We all know you two are head over heels in love with one another, so why can't you just tell us what's going on?" Evergreen fussed at the green haired mage.

"It's a private matter Ever. We are still figuring out what we want to do." Freed tried to reason with the brunette.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure you've figured out what you want to do. You just need to decide who's going to be the big spoon and who'll be the little spoon." cackled Bickslow as Freed glared and he and Evergreen hid a smirk behind her fan.

"Guarantee that's figured out already Bixy." Evergreen smiled at the two mages.

"How about we leave my private life alone and discuss either of yours." Freed rubbed his temples and hoped that one of them would talk about a recent encounter they had.

"I've been too busy helping Kaleb out to have any fun the last while. Plus I have to help out with some new recruits so there'll be no fun for me." Bickslow sighed dramatically.

"All work and no play makes Bickslow a dull boy." Evergreen stated causing Freed to smile and look at their blue and black mohawk friend.

"Hey now! How about we do not pick on the sex deprived man here." The three friends looked at one another and all burst out laughing.


	7. Chapter 7

The girls had just come back from an amazing afternoon at the spa feeling replenished and extra giddy. There may have been one too many mimosas while they sat there getting their nails done. Lucy and Xally's faces were definitely more flushed than Emzadi's, but as a whole, there was a hell of a lot of smiling going on and maybe more than necessary giggles passing through the trio. The main hall quieted down as the three women walked through, which made Lucy feel a little self-conscious because she couldn't understand why there were looking at them. Sure they had changed their clothes after the spa treatment, at Emzadi's persistent demands, but other than that she didn't see why people were almost drooling.

Emzadi had demanded that she leave behind her blue dress and trade it for an outfit she had found in a small boutique on their way back to the guild. The royal blue off the shoulder crop top showed off her shoulders, covered her ample breasts and stopped midway to her bellybutton. Emzadi had paired it with a low rise black skirt that was tied to the right side of her hip, showing off her creamy thigh. Lucy was thankful she had opted for black lace bikini bottoms instead of a thong today. It was a little more risque than what Lucy was used too, but it really wasn't out of the norm for Bosco. Yet everyone looked like they wanted to nibble on one of the three women.

Emzadi had picked out a light pink strapless chiffon dress for Xally and in the middle was a diamond cutout showing off her toned abs. It ended mid-thigh and was short enough to cover everything and tease anyone looking at her ass. Lucy had picked out Emzadi's outfit and warned Lucy that it couldn't be black because she was pretty sure that was all her sister owned. Lucy had hunted for a while but eventually found the perfect outfit. Lucy opted for a deep rich purple tank top romper that wasn't skin tight and flowed around the tall blonde mage. The shorts showed off her long muscular legs while the thick straps of the tank top came into a deep V, showing off enough cleavage to get lost in.

They walked up to the bar where they were met by Evergreen in a dark green halter dress that stopped mid-thigh and showed off her curves. The four women began talking about their days and how Lucy was going to be going to get a tattoo with Xally tomorrow after her lesson with Farron. They were discussing placement of the ink when Cobra walked up to the four women and plunked himself down beside his kin and ordered himself a blueberry bleachini. Lucy just smiled as she watched the slayer drink one of his favorite drinks, courtesy of Mira's genius mind.

"Feeling extra feminine today Cobra?" Evergreen asked with a well hid smile.

"Say what you want greenie, but this is the best damn drink around! I'd offer you some but I'm sure you'd meltdown with the wicked fairy," cackled Cobra who dodged Evergreen's fan she had thrown at his head and walked away. Evergreen huffed at the poison slayer not knowing that there were three other eyes on the pair of mages.

"Cut that shit out Tink!"

"Not until we sit down and talk about it!" Lucy yelled back, a full blown smile on her face.

"Talkin is for pansies."

"Says the slayer ordering a drink that needs a martini glass." Lucy giggled as Cobra slammed his drink back and was about to leave the guild.

"Yea Tink. I'll see you after your tattoo appointment. Try not to cry like a lil bitch."

"You're getting a tattoo?" Evergreen's wide dark brown eyes stared at Lucy.

"Xally and I have decided to get one since she can't mark me as kin."

"Oh . . . well, that sounds like it should be fun. I'm going to get some training with the boys, so chat later." Evergreen left Lucy wondering what was going on with Evergreen. The fairy mage was generally more standoffish, but never cold or unwelcoming. "So what do you think your tat should look like on me?"

"I have actually been giving this a lot of thought. There is a symbol called the Akashawa - it looks like a fancy handwritten lower case H with three small dots. It's a sign of healing in our culture, so I figured if we did it in a blue color then it'd look great!"

"I love the idea, but can we change the color to that of your eyes? The aquamarine color is so beautiful and it's just you!" Xally and Emzadi laughed at Lucy's excitement, so the small mage agreed to the request. "I was also thinking about putting it on my ankle - any disagreement there?" Both mages nodded their heads no and raised their glasses up in agreement.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your fun ladies," Farron approached the trio with a small smile on his lips. "But I believe I promised Lucy some education about our culture this afternoon. Would you care to join me Miss Heartfilia?"

"Oh for fuck's sake Farron? Can you be any more stiff and rigid when talking to Lucy?" Xally rolled her eyes at her brother's 'political' introduction.

"Oh, I guarantee he can be stiff and rigid. Should we ask Freed when the last time that was?" Emzadi's orange eyes glowed with mirth at her oldest brother's expense.

"This morning Freed became very aware of what happens when I become stiff and quite enjoys my rigidness." He brushed some loose mahogany strands out of his face while his sister's laughed at their jokes, but Lucy's face was quite red. "Don't worry Lucy. Eventually, you'll adjust to the openness that we were born and raised in. Actually being around Bickslow so much I'm surprised you haven't grown used to it.

"Oh I am used to it, but only when it's Bickslow who is talking. He was the only one in Fairy Tail that was quite . . . boisterous about his sexcapades."

"Sexcapades? I like it and am stealing it from you." Emzadi hummed as she took another long drink from her glass. "Now head up to the teacher's office and if he asks you to sit on his desk he's living out a fantasy." Another round of laughter came from the siblings as Lucy's red cheeks deepened in color. Lucy took Farron's offered arm and walked in silence to a vacant office where they got comfy.

"Why don't you start by telling me what you about our culture?" Farron poured himself and Lucy a tea and waited for her to answer.

"Honestly most of the knowledge is all diplomatic and business based. Father had some good connections here in Bosco through Heartfilia Rails and Trade, so I know how to speak the language and can barter like no one else. As far as anything else goes though I don't know a lot. Bickslow was always whining about how he missed out on finishing his Suddepah lessons but was glad he grew up with the Boscan mantra of 'pleasure is pleasure.' Which from my limited knowledge is a way of saying that intimacies with a man, women, or of the same sex aren't a big deal."

"Well, I'm glad we don't have to talk business because that would be very dull." The two mages laughed in agreement. "You're general understanding is a very broad look on what we live every day. I am sure that you will find our culture more than a shock compared to how you were raised, but Bickslow is right and pleasure is pleasure. At the age of eleven, you start lessons with a Suddepah and they will instruct you on how to please a man and woman. Once you are fifteen you have the option to have sex for the first time, but can hold off until you're ready. Typically women wait until they are sixteen since their bodies are developed at that point in time. Then lessons with a sexual partner will commence for the next year before your Suddepah will say that training is complete. Follow me so far?" Lucy nodded her head, which was swimming with the culture shock and knowing that this was expected of everyone in the country.  _So much for saving it until marriage_.

"Once you've graduated you are able to go and ask anyone if they are Promised, which in your terms would almost be considered dating. It's two people who are looking to enter a commitment with one another to explore the option of getting married. Being promised generally lasts less than six months before the couple is getting married or separating, but the second option is less likely. Since we are able to explore what we like and don't like in a partner sexually when you find that specific connection with a person you just know what you want."

"Is that what happened to you and Freed?" Lucy asked shyly. Partly because of the topic and partly because it was his personal life.

"Yes and no. Freed had to come to terms that he isn't into women, at all." Farron sighed going over that particular day with Lucy. "The Justine family is a very prominent and wealthy family in Fiore and Mr. Justine has the most strict rules that his three sons abide by. Since Freed was the oldest his top priority was getting married and producing a male heir, which I am sure you understand. Freed was banned from using magic, but curiosity got the best of him when he was younger and opened a book in the restricted section and that was how his Dark Ecuture magic appeared. I won't delve too much more into that topic, but Freed's fathers told him to stop using magic because proper people didn't need magic to succeed in life. It was shortly after that he ran away and was the last person to join the Thunder Legion."

"I know Freed was here before on breaks with Laxus and the team, so did your attraction to him start then?"

"It did. I had never met anyone with Freed's intellect before, save for Kaleb and my father. He was also very shy, which still find cute. It took several attempts, but I was finally able to show him how I felt. We kept in touch whenever he went back to Magnolia and after he healed from the disbandment of Fairy Tail I asked him to be my Promised."

"Someone mentioned about kisses with family, close friends, or something along those lines when I first got here. What did they mean by that?"

"Ah yes. In Bosco, we show appreciation, gratitude, celebrations, and love of kissing. Now appreciation and gratitude are generally kissed on the corner of a person's mouth while celebrations are met with chaste kisses to a person's lips. For example, if you join a guild you will get a kiss from the guild master welcoming you into their family. Then love is pretty self-explanatory, but if you need a mor . . ."

"I'm good with that one, thanks!" Farron chuckled at the blonde's mannerisms.

"Have you ever had sex, Lucy?"

"A couple of times, but nothing that I would put under the 'my mind is blown' category." She admitted and had often wondered if there was something wrong with her because she didn't orgasm and those men had told her she was too hard to please.

"Guarantee those little boys didn't know what the hell they were doing." Lucy's brown eyes looked into Farron's baby blue ones, utterly shocked by his words. "In my line of work you get good at ready people Lucy, so believe me when I say there is nothing wrong with you. If I wasn't Promised I would have loved to show you how a real man treats a woman. However, if you ever did want to share pleasure with someone or someone with you, they would ask if you are Promised first and if not you will be asked if you'd like to join them. You can decline, or be declined, and the mass majority of people will back off. If they don't someone else will step up and help you out or you can punish them as you see fit. We take being promised and refusal to have pleasure seriously here and crimes for such acts are severe."

"Well thanks for that, but I don't think I'll need to worry about that here."

"Lucy - you are a very attractive woman, especially in Boscan clothes. Don't demean yourself, because I can guarantee that if Kaleb hadn't told the guild you were to be left alone until you have decided on a guild and used to the Boscan way of life that you would definitely be propositioned by 80% of the guild."

"If you say so then why wasn't I asked when I was out with Xally and Emzadi?"

"Emzadi is a dragon slayer who's glare and growls would scare off even Laxus." They both laughed at the thought of Laxus running away from her. "Xally was using her healing magic on the men who thought to approach you by decreasing their hormone levels so they didn't."

"Wow! I am not sure if I should be offended or relieved."

"Sorry to disturb Cosplayer," Lucy spun in her chair to smile brightly at Bickslow who was standing in the entryway. "but you have an appointment with Xally. If I'm not back with you in five minutes then I'll regret it. Rather not get on her bad side since her revenge plots are downright evil for someone to small!"

"It's true," Farron smiled at his brother. "This one-time Bickslow but Xally's hair in her sleep, so Xally stole his totems and burned them. Turns out she had made exact replicas and had the small tikis fitted with magic canceling cuffs so he couldn't call them."

"That's what Bix gets for being an idiot and cutting off a woman's hair. It's one of our pride and joys in life." Lucy flipped her hair over her shoulder to prove a point.

"Ya ya Cosplayer. Dad put us on kitchen duty, together, for a month after that incident."

"Thanks for the explanation, Farron. I greatly appreciate your time." Lucy smiled at the tall mage sitting in the chair opposite of her. "Look forward to seeing you again."

"Same to you Lucy." Farron approached Lucy and gave her a kiss on the corner of her lips. "This is also how we say hello and goodbye to family. Almost wish I wasn't Promised." A beat red Lucy smacked Farron's shoulder before dragging laughing Bickslow out.

"You know we'll stop teasing you when you stop looking like a beat right after every sexual advance or innuendo?"

"Maybe one day I'll adjust." Lucy stopped before she was about to round a corner, deep in thought. "Is Cana from Bosco? She'd be right at home here."

"Well Guildarts is from Fiore but I honestly don't know anything about her mother, Cornelia," Bickslow stated as he watched Lucy smile with a plan. "What's cookin in that pretty head of yours now?"

"Oh, nothing!" Lucy replied all too quickly before heading off to the table that Bickslow's sisters were at. "Hey ladies! You ready to go?"

"You bet! Let's head out."

The women spent roughly two hours in the chair but were both ridiculously happy with their sisterly bond tattoos on the outside of their right ankles. It definitely had hurt, especially the shading, but not near as much as most of the battle wounds Lucy had incurred over her time on Team Natsu. The girls were on their way back to the guild so that Emzadi could grab her bag she had forgotten there earlier, then would head back to the estate for the night. Two more nights and they would be out dancing at the club, so they were discussing what to wear, shoes, make-up and who would all be joining them. Lucy heard Emzadi's low growl, remembering what Farron had told her, and looked around to see whom she was warning off. A short man with greasy dark brown hair, disheveled clothes, and a bottle wrapped in a brown bag were staring intently at the blonde. He walked up to the trio of women and grabbed Lucy's hand, trying to yank her away from her friends.

"Excuse me, but can you please let go of me so that we can head home?" Lucy's steely gaze met the man's bloodshot eyes, realizing he was plastered. She tried to shake him off, but he just squeezed tighter causing Lucy to wince.

"My sister asked you to let go of her and leave." Xally's no-nonsense raised voice rung out behind her and Lucy could see some of the men that were with the drunk stand up behind him.

"No can do gurly. This blonde skank is coming home with us tonight." Flashback of Lucy's dreams, while she was locked away in Seven, started to come into view and she could feel herself starting to panic. The stranger tightened his grip even harder and Lucy fell to her knees in pain, swearing she could feel her wrist cracking from the pressure.

"No one touches her like that!" Emzadi launched herself at the man, landing a solar punch to the man's shoulder. He stumbled back, releasing his hold on the celestial mage and throwing a punch to the female slayer. Xally was about to heal Lucy's broken wrist when one of the stranger's lackeys was swinging aboard the two mages. Xally blasted him with a shot of water effectively throwing him back into the other creepers.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll leave before I melt the skin off your bones!" Emzadi started to raise the temperature around the drunk men so that they were sweating in the cool evening air. They all took off, not wanting to die that day. "Lucy! Xally! Are you guys alright?"

"Ah, we have a problem . . ." Xally turned and looked over at Lucy who was laying on her side on the ground encased in a golden shield. "What do you suppose this is and why did it happen around her?"

"I don't know, but I think we should get Cristoff here. Maybe Kaleb is around him."  _Kaleb?_ Emzadi waited a couple of seconds before she had a response.  _Emzadi? Are you ladies alright?_  Emzadi smiled at the concern in her brother's voice.  _We are fine now, but Lucy is encased in a gold bubble. We don't know why or what it's made of, so I was hoping that Cris could come and try to talk to Lucy since she's most comfortable with him._  Lucy had spent every night wrapped up in Cristoff's arms saying she felt safe with her brother watching over her. Cristoff took his role as a giant teddy bear super seriously and would be the best hope in bringing her around.  _We are on our way._

"So want to explain what brought this on?" Kaleb asked as he walked out of the moonbeam followed by Cobra and Cristoff. Xally proceeded to recap what had happened which had the slayers growling and Kaleb with a scowl on his face.

"Can you read her mind, Kaleb?" Cristoff asked as he approached the still form of his kindred sister.

"No. This shield is blocking all my attempts." Kaleb was frustrated and concerned since his powers were near limitless. If she had something that could block him then it was a cause to be extremely worried.

"It's celestial magic," Cristoff said in awe. "This is either a key of hers or one of her spirits are doing this on its own accord. I guarantee it's damn near impenetrable."

"Scutum." Three pairs of eyes stared at the dragon slayer. "What? I spent a week with Tink, so I know damn well which key it probably is. Scutum is a shield, so she either called it herself or it's here on its own power." Cobra crouched down beside Lucy and tried talking to the spirit. "Scutum it's Cobra. Can you release Lucy so that we can get her back home?" There were several pulses of power, four of Lucy's bonded markings glowed and the shield dissolved in golden sparkles.

"I . . . I didn't think my tattoo would do anything?" Xally looked at her ankle in amazement as the small light disappeared.

"I didn't even know I had one!" Emzadi was looking at the inside of her right ankle wracking her brain trying to figure out when it appeared.

"Let's get this wrist healed up and then I can moon jump us home. Kaleb are you able to read her now?"

"Crystal clear. Turns out that she had a panic attack when the man tried to get her to go with him and his men. Flashes of her dreams reappeared and her spirit materialized itself to block her from the men and her own memories." Cristoff picked up Lucy and his siblings, plus Cobra joined him as the headed back to the estate. Cristoff took Lucy back to his room and laid her down, cuddling up beside her. His dragon was purring having its kin so close and as he listened to her breathing he fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Lucy woke up alone and in Cristoff's room, slightly confused as to why she was there. She didn't remember much of what had happened the night before besides getting their tattoos and some strange men blocking their route home. Deciding a shower would be the best way to relax and try to remember what happened Lucy went back to her own room, grabbed some new clothes and hopped into the warmth of the waterfall. She tried her best to recollect whatever transpired but was still drawing a blank. The blonde rested her head against the cool tile at the back of the shower and breathed in the steamy air, smiling while doing so.

She was exceptionally happy with how her powers had progressed, prior to being captured. She was a bit behind now and was sure that the moment she chose what to do with her life now Capricorn would be on her ass, hounding her to get back to practicing and exercising. The bond she had with all of her spirits was quite strong, but there was still a painful gaping hole where Aquarius should be. The whole Tartaros event still brought on nightmares, but they were less frequent since her capture. Now she also dreamt of being raped and strange men trying to take her away from her family. Lucy could admit that she had a few cracks that would need to be repaired, but she refused to let it hold her back. There was too much good in the world and too many people she wanted to help to let herself play the victim forever.

Flashes of the scrawny man grabbing her wrist and her new sisters defending her started to come forth. It was almost as if Lucy was having an out of body experience as she watched everything from the previous night unfold. She hugged herself tight as it continued until all she could feel was the darkness calling her, but with a few steady breaths she calmed herself down.  _Ugh, no wonder I freaked out and collapsed. Mavis, I feel pathetic now. I should probably ask someone what happened after I blacked out._ Lucy looked at her wrist and realized that Cristoff must have healed her at some point.

Lucy shut the water off and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her form then making her way out to the room to find some clothes for the day. As she got dressed her minded wandered to how Evergreen was acting yesterday but realized that she probably felt excluded.  _Well, I will just have to make that up to_ _her then!_ Lucy started to brush her long blonde locks while pondering everything that Farron had told her about Freed's past, which didn't sound like it was much different than her own. She was interested in getting to know the green haired mage better over the course of her stay in Bosco, however long that might be. Bickslow had the goofy older brother job all locked up in her mind, but behind his mask, you could tell there was some pain there. Maybe one day she could help him heal like his amazing family was helping her.

Then there was Laxus. A blush immediately rose high on her cheeks thinking about the tall muscular blonde slayer. She'd have to be dead not to notice how drop dead gorgeous the man was and the crush she'd developed back in Fairy Tail was borderline obsession now. He was never a talkative guy, but they got along well enough when they did interact. Not that she did very often with his keen sense of smell, he'd be able to tell just how hot and bothered he really made her. Now that they were in Bosco he seemed to be avoiding her, and that wasn't sitting right with her at all. She was starting over, yet again, and she'd be damned if she'd let this man slip her clutches if she could help it. She may have to ask for some help from the Thunder Legion and her two new dragon slayer siblings.  _Oh, let the fun begin!_

* * *

Laxus had just finished sparring with Cristoff on the beach and was currently stripping down to go for a swim in cool water of the sea, with Cristoff on his heels. The two large men began to swim leisurely towards a rock roughly a mile from shore. Cristoff got started to get ahead of the lightning slayer and with a smirk in place decided that this challenge couldn't be left unanswered. Laxus focused on his breathing and using powerful body launched into butterfly strokes, with both arms moving symmetrically, accompanied by the butterfly kick he was gaining ground on the lunar slayer. He ended up touching the rock seconds before Cristoff did, a shit eating grin on his face.

"I haven't had someone beat me at swimming in a long ass time," Cristoff stated with a smile of his own. "Definitely want a rematch."

"Whenever, wherever you're on!" The two men shook on it while treading water.

"You know," Cristoff started off slowly while taking in the calm demeanor of his kin, "You've been dodging Lucy a lot lately. You should probably just man up and tell her already."

"What the hell are you talkn' about?" Laxus glared at the mage.

"Tell her that she's your mate, and maybe your dragon wouldn't be as huge of an ass hole."

"I can't," Laxus grumbled under his breath.

"Why the hell not?" Cristoff looked bewildered and personally couldn't understand why Laxus was refusing to do so. "If Lucy was my mate I wouldn't hesitate to tell her what's going on and fill her in on the details. It's not like you have to fuck her the minute you tell her."

"We're too different and I have enough baggage that I don't need her pulled in with all that shit."

"Ever think that you'd be able to help each other? It's not like she doesn't have her own issues, especially with what happened last night," Cristoff stated trying to make a point and get the dense man on the right track.

"What happened last night?" Laxus all but growled at the now nervous mage before him. "Cristoff!"

"Oh, would you look at the time. Lunch will probably be served soon." Cristoff moon jumped away before Laxus could sink his fangs into this skin and landed in his empty room.  _I could have sworn that Lucy was here when I left. FUCK! Laxus will kill me if I've lost her, but at least I know where to start with that blockhead._ Cristoff ran down to the dining room, hoping that Lucy went to get food after she woke up. Then again . . . if Laxus finds her before he did then he'd have to explain why he was looking for her.

"What's with the creepy ass smirk, Cris?" Bickslow asked from the table where Farron, Freed, and Arman were sitting.

"Oh nothing, but if Laxus comes thundering in here I didn't do anything!" He moon beamed out of the room and left three very confused mages to eat their breakfast.

"Where the hell did that fucker disappear too?" thundered in Laxus with sparks jumping off of his body.

"Easy there sparks-a-lot," Cobra uttered walking into the dining room. "He mentioned checking Tink's room for her since she was MIA from his room this morning." Cobra could practically see the gears screeching to a halt and smoke starting to billow out of his ears, thoroughly enjoying the chaos he may have just created. He watched the retreating back of the big blonde and sat down at the table.

"That was not very nice of you Erik," Freed spoke from behind the paper he was currently reading.

"Whatever you say, Kermit. All I know is that he needs to man the fuck up and deal with this because his dragon will just drive him insane and drag us all along for that less than joyful ride." Cobra shrugged his shoulders and reached for the sugar to put in his coffee. "Besides, Tink is beginning to wonder why he's so distant."

"And how do you know this?" Farron questioned with an amused smile already forming an idea.

"I eavesdropped on her internal monologue after I found Loony's room empty."

"Should I start planning some funerals?" cackled Bickslow to the amusement of his family and Cobra.

"I highly doubt Laxus would go down so easily," Freed confidently spoke about his leader.

"Oh I'm not referring to that," grinned Bickslow. "I mean when Lucy finds out what has been going on she'll be less than thrilled. Lucy kicks everywhere!" Freed and Cobra shuddered thinking about the petite woman's powerful kicks. "Pray that you never have to encounter one or you'll end of through a wall. Personal experience."

"Do I want to know what you did to that poor girl?" Arman asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Poor Lucy? What about poor Bickslow?"

"I'm sure you deserved it," chuckled Farron who dodged the roll that Bickslow threw at this head.

"Are you referring to the incident where you grabbed her boobs while intoxicated to see test how soft they were or the time that you grab . . ."

"Freeeeeeed! Man, whose side are you on?" whined Bickslow who was shielding himself from his father's glare.

"The side of truth," Freed stated while flipping the page of his paper. "If I remember correctly she removed herself from your person before Lucy kicking you through the guilds newly erected cement wall. After that, we made the walls thicker." Everyone broke out in laughter and resumed their meal, leaving the two male slayers in the hands of their celestial mage.

* * *

Lucy had just finished dressing when her bedroom door was ripped off its hinges and tossed to the side by Laxus. The dragon slayer had a wild look about him with his eyes ablaze and muscles tense like he was waiting for a fight. Lucy was quickly sidetracked by the fact that Laxus was only standing there in a pair of swimming trunks, showing off his muscular form. His strong, broad shoulders to his chiseled chest where his sculpted V was showing itself above his shorts - this was the stuff that wet dreams were made of, Lucy was positive. He would be the image she'd use from here on out whenever she felt the need to masturbate.

"Laxus . . . Is everything alright?" Lucy knew better than to toy with a slayer that was relying heavily on its senses. His normal bluish grey eyes locked with hers and Lucy sucked in a breath at the mesmerizing steel grey they had become. Laxus walked up to her and pulled her flush against his body, burying his nose in his hair and inhaling deeply. She had gotten used to this with Natsu and knew that her scent was a way to calm his nerves whenever something had happened to her in the past.

"Laxus?" Lucy tried to get his attention again and felt a rumble in his chest through her own body. She pushed gently against his large form to try to look at his face, but he just held her closer. Mentally sighing in defeat she decided it'd be best if she just waited this out and then she could ask him what the hell was going on. She took a deep breath to calm herself and realized that he smelled that fresh rain after a storm. Smiling, Lucy placed a kiss on his pectoral and hugged the large man back. Everything about him right now was soothing any and all worries that she previously had, but she wasn't sure why. It never happened with Natsu or Cristoff, so why would happen with Laxus of all people?

"Lucy?" Laxus came out of his daze and almost jumped away from the celestial mage, only to realize that his hands were tangled in her long hair.

"Hey, Laxus. You alright?" Lucy asked looking into his normal colored eyes. "You ripped the door off its hinges and stormed into the room looking for me."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that or this with you," Laxus looked her confused faced and turned to leave. "I'll see you around Blondie."

"You can't just change in here like you did and leave without and explanation, Laxus!" Lucy demanded with her hands on her hips, fully prepared to stop him if necessary.

"My dragon took over after Cris said you were hurt and I came looking for you. End of story," he grumbled and left the room.

"LAXUS! That is not a sufficient answer." Lucy followed him out into the hallway and to the main hall where Bickslow, Farron, Freed, Arman, Cobra, and Evergreen were gathered. "You've barely said two words to me since I've been back and now you're choosing to ignore me. Just talk to me Laxus."

"I'm not good for you." He said over his shoulder with a pained look then teleported away. Lucy looked at the peanut gallery then back to where Laxus once stood.

"I don't understand. What did I do?"


	9. Chapter 9

Lucy stared blankly at the spot where Laxus had thundered out, utterly confused by his departing words.  _What did he mean he wasn't any good for me? Did I do something to upset him so badly?_  Lucy had barely seen the blonde dragon slayer since she had come to Bosco and she was saddened by that fact, but watching him leave made her heart hurt and she wasn't sure why. He was being a huge ass hole, Lucy unknowingly fisted her hands at her side and the Fairy Tail mages took several steps back. Lucy closed her eyes to get her anger under control, so could let off some steam when they went to the club tonight and could dance it out of her system.

"Why's everyone so tense?" Evergreen asked as she entered the room followed by Emzadi, Xally, and Cobra.

"Laxus is being an idiot," Bickslow offered as Freed glared at the mage for insulting their leader. "Don't give me that look Freed! You know I'm right."

"Bickslow is right? Better mark that on a calendar," Evergreen snickered from behind her fan.

"Is it national pick on Bickslow day, like fuck!"

"What did Sparky do this time?" His eye strayed to the celestial mage, looking over her carefully and noticing how rigid her entire form was. "Who do I need to poison Tink?" He watched Lucy spin around to face him and saw her relax some with a small smile on her face.

"No one," Lucy said and then after a moment added, "well no one at this particular point in time. I'll let you know if circumstances change."

"You better! No one fucks with my kin and gets away for long." Cobra went and sat in a chair, satisfied that Lucy had perked up once again.

"So back to Laxus . . ." Evergreen looked at the seith mage for answers.

"Dragon slayer bull shit."

"That's all we're going to get for now huh?" Evergreen rolled her eyes knowing that in time she would get her answers.

"How are you feeling today Lucy?" Xally asked linking her arms with the blonde and leading her to the table to eat their noon meal.

"I'm much better, thanks!" Lucy smiled at the group. "I was a bit groggy when I woke up, but once I sorted everything out all was good."

"What was there to sort out?" Farron asked confused, obviously, there was a story here that he had missed.

"We just had some trouble in the market after we received our tattoos last night. No big deal?" Lucy nervously smiled at the sound mage.

"Fuck Lucy!" Cobra growled as he read her soul in regards to last nights events followed closely by mimicking events from Emzadi and Xally. "I'm going to find those fuckers and poison them all!"

"You will do no such thing!" Lucy rounded on the slayer. "They were a bunch of drunks that were taken care of, so no need to worry."

"Lucy, care to fill the rest of in on what happened?" Evergreen asked from where she sat between Freed and Bickslow.

"Some idiot tried to manhandle me last night when we were on our way home from the shop. I had a panic attack and blacked out, so Scutum pushed through his own gate and placed me in a protective barrier." She was getting several confused glances, so quickly added, "Scutum is a silver key and creating a shield is his main magic, but I am curious why he lifted the barrier."

"We called Kaleb, who brought Cris and Cobra, and Cobra talked to your shield about releasing you to us. It sent out several pulses of magic making our bond marks glow and then disappeared." Emzadi stated then pointedly look over at Lucy. "Why did our marks glow? I understand why Cris and Cobra's did with the whole kin thing, but when did you put one on me and why was Xally's also glowing."

"Well you see," Lucy bit her bottom lip nervous about their reactions. "I had fused my magic with the ink that was used on Xally's tattoo so that when it touched her skin it'd be similar to the other bonds I created. I added one to Emzadi's ankle when we were walking hand in hand, which you subconsciously accepted since I have a matching one on my ankle."

"No way! What's it look like?" Emzadi bounced in her seat excitedly. Lucy walked over to her and showed her bare ankle to the solar slayer who gasped in surprise. It was a beautifully round sun with flowing rays sprouting from all around it and inside the sun was a stunning mandala flower design. "It's beautiful Lucy!"

"Well, that explains that," Cobra said before stuffing a blueberry muffin in his mouth. "What are you doing for the rest of the day?"

"I was thinking that the four of girls would just chill before getting ready to go to the club tonight. Who's all coming anyway?" Lucy asked the group of mages.

"Kaleb, Cris, you lovely ladies, Cobra and myself," Bickslow answered the blonde. "Not sure if Laxus will show up tonight or not, but we don't need him to have fun." He winked at Lucy who giggled in response.

"Well let's put on our bathing suits and head out to the grass sea and soak up some rays before returning! I could use some sun therapy!" Xally exclaimed.

"If we weren't family you could have all the sun therapy you want," smirked Emzadi to he younger sister who snorted back at her.

"You can find someone at the club to therapeutically help," Xally smiled back, batting her eyelashes. "Let's get moving ladies!" The four of them left in a fit of giggles discussing what color bathing suit would look good on who.

"Think we should have warned them?" Farron asked the rest of the men at the table.

"Nah. The girls will be perfectly fine and I'm sure Lucy will adjust." Bickslow said shrugging his shoulders.

"That's not the blonde mage that'll have a problem with his appearance," Freed frowned not liking the potential disaster scene.

"Sparky needs to pull his head out his ass, so if he does something scandalous then he has no one to blame except himself," Cobra grudgingly stated, "Besides it'll be too much fun to sit back and watch." Cobra grinned at Bickslow who was cackling at how much trouble this could potentially be, while Freed and Farron exchanged a look that showed how relieved they both were at not going to the club tonight.

* * *

Lucy had thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine and the warmth of the Grass Sea plus all of the girl time. They talked a lot about Lucy's future and all the options there would be for her. She could join White Sea and be placed at any guild within the country, be part of the largest faction of mages ever, or she could join another reputable guild in the area. Lucy could get a job where her magic would be of use but nixed that idea since there wasn't much use for celestial magic in everyday life. She could head back to Magnolia and try to start over there, but that was all too painful to return too just yet. Lucy wanted to talk to Cobra and see what his plans were and what he thought, even though she knew that he was leaving it up to her and he'd follow.

They had gotten on the topic of boys, which had Lucy commenting on how good looking everyone in the Pradesh family was. Evergreen piped up saying that the White Sea guild had the hottest men around, which all the girls seemed to agree on. Which had ended up turning into a talk about sexual prowess and what may very well happen tonight. They weren't going to be able to hide or protect Lucy from the culture that was Bosco at the club, so they gave her a quick explanation. People would ask her to dance, similar to asking to share pleasure and she'd be able to say no just like normal. The only difference was that the club that had been chosen was well known for its sultry dances, but Lucy was more than eager to get out and dance no matter the mood.

Emzadi had brought supper up to the room and Lucy had called out Cancer and Virgo to help the ladies prepare for the evening, while Xally had left only to return with a bottle of spiced apple wine. Having a good buzz before heading out for the night would take some of the edge off so Lucy could relax more and have fun. Lucy as the last to get her hair styled and she couldn't help but smile at how beautiful the women before her were. Emzadi's unruly blonde locks were completely straight and pulled out of her face and off her neck in a hight ponytail with small red gems randomly placed throughout. She was wearing a navy blue backless dress that ended just below her ass and had a gold jeweled chained resting against her spine. The cowl neck front scooped low, showing ample cleavage and was paired with a pair of strappy gold wedges.

Xally was dressed in a strapless plum purple lace dress with a see-through mid-drift that hugged her form showing off every curve. Her cleavage wasn't spilling out the top, but there was enough showing to leave you wanting to see more. She paired the outfit with black flats and intricate black and gold dangles hung around her wrists. Cancer curled her black hair, pulling part of it out of her face with a braid and resting a matching black and gold headband on the crown of her head. Virgo was helping Evergreen into her two-piece emerald green outfit, which you could tell was slightly out of her comfort zone. The halter crop top wrapped around her neck ended just under her large breasts and had one thick strap running around her back to hold it in place. She was in a matching green mini skirt with a beautiful gold chain wrapped around her hips, enticing the eyes to her hips and gold stilettos. Cancer also curled Evergreen's hair but pulled it to one side in a loose ponytail placing a gold leaf band in her hair to complete her 'fairy' look.

Lucy let Cancer and Virgo have free reign with her look tonight, as long as it fits in with the culture and wasn't showing off too terribly much. Cancer pulled her hair into a high ponytail, knowing that his keyholder didn't like the way her hair felt against her neck when she was sweating and curled it to add some volume to her normally poker straight hair. Virgo dressed her in a royal blue halter crop top as well, except hers had a lace overlay exposing the creamy skin above her large chest and covering the top part of her back. The high waisted skirt she wore ended just below her ass, which was normal for her, but the risque slits up the outside of her thighs made her a bit nervous, and white wedges laced up her calves to complete her look. Lucy was thankful for the spiced wine now as she looked herself over in the full-length mirror. She thanked her spirits and asked if Cancer would see if the boys would want anything done differently with their hair and once he was done he was free to return.

The girls walked into the entranceway of the Pradesh estate and Lucy stopped to blink a couple of times. There was no way that the mages standing before her were the same men she had seen earlier that day, right? Kaleb, Cristoff, Bickslow, and Cobra were eagerly waiting for the women to come down so they could all leave. She knew the Pradesh men were sexy as fuck, but Cobra looked just as edible as everyone else.  _There should be a law about how many attractive men can be in the same place at once._  Lucy pulled her cloak closer to her body, feeling self-conscious next to all these God-like mages.

Kaleb and Cristoff were dressed in their typical skin-tight leathers with their hair flowing freely, per usual. However, she was surprised to see Bickslow's blue-black tri-hawk hair resting flat against his head, running over his ears and slightly down the back of his neck. The shaggy look his hair now had was a huge improvement over his previous childish updo and he'd be even more of a panty-dropper now. He left behind his overly large knight like get up to replace it with a skin-tight deep blue t-shirt, black leather pants, and black combat boots making him look badass. Lucy blinked a couple times before turning to look at Evergreen who had her eyes locked on Cobra.

Lucy's eyes followed the same path as Evergreen's and took in Cobra's new look and couldn't help but smile at how handsome the mage looked. His thick shaggy maroon hair was gone and instead, he had short spiky hair and fit his ruggedness more than his previous look. He wore the same tight red leather pants and black boots as before but had opted for a tight white shirt with a black leather jacket covering his bare arms. Lucy looked back at the fairy mage and wondered if anything would transpire between the two of them tonight.

"Well look who finally decided to grace us," Cobra snickered at the four women.

"It takes time to look this gorgeous," Evergreen replied, even though she pulled her cloak closed to her body as well.

"Well maybe if you weren't all wearing those damn cloaks we'd be able to tell how sexy, or not, you look," Cobra baited Evergreen, knowing how to rile the brunette up.

"These are so we can actually get to the club, otherwise we'll be stopped so frequently," Emzadi proudly stated with a sly smile. "Speaking of which let's get going. I want to get lost in a sea of bodies grinding on one another." Emzadi looked over at Kaleb and asked if Laxus or the stranger had shown up yet or not, to which he replied no. Emzadi heaved a sigh of relief, at least for the time being, knowing that the calamity wasn't biting at their heels.

The line-up to the club was quite long, but Xally raced to the VIP access line and hugged the bouncer that was standing outside. He handed her a card and the group of mages entered the club. The music was loud and Lucy could feel the beat in her very soul, her body humming in excitement. She followed an equally excited water mage up the steps and watched as Xally slid the keycard through the scanner and the door opened up to them. Inside the room was a large booth and table with a personal bartended at their beck and call.

"Each of you will have to press your thumb onto the scanner so that if you want to enter or exit the room you just need to use a finger. It makes things much easier if one is drunk," she giggled before holding her thumb onto the scanner for a couple seconds and watching the light turn green. Each mage took a turn and then sat down and ordered their drinks, but Lucy was looking over the balcony watching the crowd below dance to the beat of the music.

"Hey, boss man. Glad you decided to join us." Lucy spun around to see Bickslow clapping Laxus on the shoulder, the two men smiling at one another.

"Wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to check out Supernova and have some friendly drinks," Laxus stated looking at everyone except Lucy, causing said mage to frown.

"Supernova? Emzadi is this your club?" Lucy asked the solar slayer.

"I'm a silent owner. Xally was referring to my partner that day in the market when we were talking about going dancing. Being an S Class mage in White Sea for so many years pays quite well, so we all have dabbled in other investments to make a profit should something happen. Kaleb is a technological master and has patents for several pieces of equipment he's designed. Farron deals with the council, but he also has a spa he is a silent owner in while Xally co-owns the beauty boutique we were at. Cristoff has several medical clinics he invests his time in and then there's . . . well, you get the point."

"That's amazing!" Lucy smiled at the group, feeling a small twang of guilt thinking about how she was living off the Pradesh's and not contributing to anything. She felt a hand on her shoulder, looking up at Kaleb to see him smiling down at her.  _There's no need to feel guilty. We are more than willing and capable of helping family out until they can get situated._

"I'm going to dance. Anyone want to head out there with me?" Xally asked the mages, but Lucy decided to stay in the lounge for a bit. She wanted to observe how everyone interacted below before making her way into the crowd. Bickslow and Laxus stayed in the lounge with her, but she paid no attention to the men who were idly chatting with one another, instead, she focused on the people below. Watching as men spun women in circles, smiling and laughing, or how women would grind themselves into their willing partners. She watched everyone's hands graze over each other's bodies and how kisses were placed on bare shoulders, cheeks, or lips. It was enticing, but at the same time, it made her nervous. It wasn't like dancing in Fiore where guys would generally leave a group of women alone, especially when those women were Fairy Tail mages.

Bickslow had been watching Laxus watch Lucy stare into the crowd, still wearing her cloak. He knew that Laxus would be in trouble if she took it off while he was there, and a sly grin appeared on his face. He was also a firm believer that Laxus needed to be pushed in order to admit to Lucy that they were mates, but his leader was stubborn as fuck. His family was going to help the two become mates even if it killed them, and for the most troublesome Pradesh, it just might happen this time around. He formulated his plan and waited for Laxus to stand up to get another beer from the bartender.

"Hey Cosplayer," Bickslow leaned on the railing next to Lucy. "How about you and me head down to the dance floor and show them how it's done?" Lucy brightly smiled at the seith mage, her fears of dancing with a stranger put off to the side. "You'll have to ditch the cloak though. Would be mighty hard to dance with that fuckin thing on."

"You're right." Lucy undid the buttons and Bickslow saw Laxus from the corner of his eye watching the celestial mage. Bickslow heard the heavy jacket drop to the ground but was focused on Laxus' reaction. The lightning slayer's eyes widened and nostrils flared, his mouth slightly ajar before licking his lips which caught Bickslow by surprise since he wasn't expecting such a strong response. He looked back at Cosplayer and felt his own jaw drop because hot damn did she look amazing.

"Damn Cosplayer! I'm going to have to beat everyone off with a stick. You look amazing!" He heard Laxus growl at his insinuation and mentally clapped.

"You don't think it's too much do you?" Lucy said feeling over-exposed.

"Never! Now let's go show these amateurs what real dancing is all about." Bickslow grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the lounge before she could change her mind. He found a place on the dancefloor that would give Laxus a perfect view, but also so he could keep an eye on his reactions. They didn't need him to electrocute anyone in Emzadi's club or cause a huge scene. The music changed to a light and fast-paced beat that had the crowd jumping. A couple of people had brushed up against Lucy but she either ignored it or didn't care, but Laxus seemed to care judging by the way his hands were grasping the railing. Bickslow knew that Laxus' restraint was being tested, but hoped that he'd come to terms with how he felt for the blonde dancing with him.

When Lucy had dropped her cloak Laxus felt his brain shut down. He couldn't formulate any coherent thoughts, phrases, or pictures it was all just Lucy. The way her hair tickled her lower back, how her skin seemed to glisten in the clubs lights, how alluring her pouty pink lips full breasts and wide hips looked in her outfit. He was instantly hard, there was nothing that could be done about that and his dragon has smoke coming out of its nostrils. Before he could say anything Bickslow had pulled her out of the room. When his brain restarted he walked over to the banister and watched Lucy amongst the crowd with Bickslow.

Laxus knew that she was safe with his teammates or the Pradesh's siblings, but the strangers that had been purposely bumping into her had him grinding his teeth. They shouldn't be hitting on Lucy, because Lucy was HIS mate. Laxus grasped the railing, knuckles turning white when some men copped a feel of Lucy's ass. His dragon was foaming at the mouth and ready to jump down there to kill its competition. He calmed down when he saw Lucy gesturing to the fact that she was going to head back to the lounge. Laxus sat released his grip on the abused wood and relaxed, waiting for Lucy to enter. Her strawberry-vanilla scent wafted into his nose, filling his with a sense of calm and watched her get a drink, her back to him. His eyes traveled up he long legs, to the skirt that barely covered her ass, her toned back where her beautiful blonde locks rested.

Lucy could feel Laxus' eyes on her person and she couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips, the way her heart fluttered, or the dampness between her legs. She had noticed him the moment she walked into the room earlier but was too busy being upset about the fact that he was ignoring her. He was wearing the same black leather pants the rest of the Pradesh family seemed to love and had a tight purple sleeveless shirt on and no fur coat. You could see every muscle on the man's sinful body and the tight pants left little to the imagination, so Lucy was doing her damndest to curtail her arousal so that his dragon nose didn't pick up on it. Lucy turned around and was about to ask Laxus a question when Emzadi entered the room.

"There you are! Xally and I have been looking all over for you. We want you to come dance with us." She pulled the celestial mage out of the room and to a place on the dancefloor where Xally was. Laxus groaned in frustration but went back to silently watching from above.

Lucy wasn't thrilled that she had been pulled away from Laxus. She was going to ask him what he had meant earlier and use her womanly whiles if she had too, but that all went up in flame. She'd just have to corner Laxus another time. A group of men were dancing with Xally and Emzadi when she felt a pair of large hands rest on her hips and a feather-light kiss touch her shoulder. She felt her body get hot in response to his actions and turned to look at the man that was behind her. Chocolate orbs were met with wine colored eyes and messy shoulder length red-black hair, broad shoulders with a lithe toned body that was showing under his open dark red vest. He was incredibly sexy as they swayed together on the dancefloor.

Laxus watched as the man whispered something into Lucy's ear earning him a bright beautiful smile. He growled when she leaned into his body whisper something back, a shit eating grin on the man's face. He could feel magic start to swirl around the pair, as several people backed away from them. Shadows licked at their feet as Lucy locked her arms around the man's neck, face resting on his chest. Laxus watched as the shadows fully enveloped the two on the dancefloor before disappearing from sight. Laxus felt his magic respond in kind and start to spark off his body, ready to electrocute that stupid little shit when found him, but for now, he was content with yelling his name out, knowing that he'd hear them even in the shadows.

"VANDER!"


	10. Chapter 10

Lucy could feel the cool shadows licking at her skin. A heaviness rested on her chest that made it hard to breathe. Knew her magic was calling to whatever rested in the shadows. If she let go of the black and red-haired mage she would disappear in that darkness forever so she clung tighter to the man who mad moments ago whisked her away from the club. His words had confused her, but she knew in the very light of her soul that she was safe.  _I'm here to whisk the Princess away from the dragon and take her away to a forbidden tower._  At the time she had giggled at his response and had replied in good nature when she saw Bickslow smiling at her then winking.  _Do your worst, but this princess will escape on her own._  The smirk she had gotten in response told of her that tonight was going to be a hell of a lot of fun, but what kind of fun she wasn't sure.

The darkness faded to light as her eyes adjusted, suddenly thankful that it was night and the glare of the streetlight was her only problem. Lucy studied the stranger that seemed so familiar to her. His hair hung loosely around his square shoulders, wine colored eyes held a hint of lifelong mischievousness, he was shirtless except for an open black leather vest that showed off years of his sculpted chest and abs, right down to his white leather pants that her mind needed little prompting on imaging what lay underneath. She was quite confident that there was a perma-smirk on his face, one that she instantly recognized now that the haze from her mind had lifted.

"You're one of Bickslow's brothers, aren't you?"

"Ah, how could you tell?"

"That smirk," Lucy giggled. "It's an exact replica of the one Bix makes when he's up to no good at the guild."

"You've got me, so why don't you tell me why you came with a complete stranger."

"Firstly you sought me out which means I was your intended target the entire night, Bickslow winked at me before the shadows engulfed us so he obviously trusted you, and lastly," Lucy bit her lip before proceeding, "I'm pretty damn sure that Laxus yelled your name out as we left, Vander."

"Oooh, a smart blonde! I do like when stereotypes are broken, especially by one with a body like yours." Lucy rolled her eyes, used to this kind of attention from random guys.

"Why did you kidnap me?"

"To piss off a certain dragon slayer," the evil grin that graced his tanned face sent shivers through Lucy, in a good way. "Plus Kaleb wasn't aware I was coming home so he'll deal with all that shit at the club and tomorrow he'll chew my ass out, but it won't stop me from having my fun."

"What fun would that be?"

"Riling up an utterly fuckin stupid man and spending my time with the Principessa della notte, so" Vander held out his arm which Lucy happily accepted, looping hers through his, "where would you like to go to Principessa? Stay in Bosco, head to the shores of Minstrel, the heavenly starlight within Stella, or perhaps a visit back home to Fiore?"

"How would we get there? Surely that darkness can't take us that far?"

"Oh, Principessa. A shadowquip mage as talented as myself can go anywhere shadows lurk."

"Ok, but when we get there I have several questions that need to be answered. You are the one benefitting by being able to toy with Laxus. Deal?"

"You do know how deals are sealed in Bosco, right?" Lucy smiled and nodded her head. Bickslow and Farron had been filling her in on some of the more intriguing aspects of their culture here and there and she really liked this one. The idea of being able to kiss a stranger to seal a deal excited her and truthfully after Laxus' actions she was more than willing to kiss the handsome Boscan man. Laxus obviously found her attractive, but he was building a wall up between the two of them for some unknown reason. Besides she was in Bosco where pleasure was pleasure and she was going to embrace this itty bitty piece of their way of life.

Vander knew he was playing with fire, which had never stopped him before, but he felt drawn to her. Maybe it was because they were opposites, dark and light, or maybe it was because most his family had told him that Lucy was a forbidden fruit and he wanted a taste, but whatever it was he was going to explore this for as long as he possibly could. His hand gently pulled her chin closer to his face, her eyes fluttered closed as he placed a feather-light kiss on her plump pink kiss. It only lasted several seconds but Vander felt his entire being float. He reluctantly pulled away and watched as Lucy's chocolate brown eyes shone brightly and knew that he had to find out what was going on with him, her, them? Maybe she didn't feel anything at all?

"Where are we off to, oh wise one?" Lucy grinned up at Vander's handsome face.

"Minstrel. I want to show you something I think you'll appreciate."

"Keep your clothes on, Vander. You're drop dead sexy, but I'm not about to worship you," Lucy tried to keep a straight face, but her mirth shone through her eyes and had Vander laughing.

"I'm glad you acknowledge my awesomeness, Principessa, however, tonight is not solely about sex," he winked at her. "There are some surprises worth waiting for though." Lucy stepped into Vander's arms, wrapping hers around his slim waist and waited for the shadows to take them away.

* * *

To say Laxus was pissed was an understatement. He was angry over the fact that no one told him that lil shit was returning home from his mission tonight. Enraged that Vander showed up and took Lucy out of the club, all the while knowing that she was his mate due to that cocky self-assured smirk that was thrown his way before disappearing into the shadows. Furiated over the fact that Lucy went somewhere with a complete stranger, trusting whatever nonsense he whispered into her ear. However, there was one more person he was completely and utterly outraged with.

Himself.

He had no-one to blame for anything except for himself over what had occurred. Lucy was a single, hot as fucking hell female, and he'd only given her the cold shoulder since she had been returned. Laxus was still 100% sure that he wasn't any good for the lovable celestial mage, but his dragon had become unbearable whenever they were in the same vicinity as her. Cristoff had talked to Laxus a while ago about how the whole mating thing worked, so he understood the gist of it but he never imagined that his fucking mate would be Lucy Heartfilia.

The Light of Fairy Tail was his mate and he had been nothing but awful to her before the incident at Tenrou Island years ago. After that, he didn't have any qualms with anyone in the guild, but he never once physically touched Lucy. Not that he hadn't wanted to cuz damn did he want too, but she was too innocent for him.  _Probably still is too innocent for one such as me._ Now she was with Vander, who had probably had the most amount of partners out of all the Pradesh sibling with Cristoff topping that due to his moon drunk horny stage every month for a decade, easily.

Did he honestly think she'd do anything with Vander? He wasn't so sure anymore. He knew she was attracted to him and knew she wasn't a virgin but had no idea how promiscuous she might be. Vander could be very influential, but Lucy could see through facades that most people tended to put which he surmised was due to her upbringing as an heiress. She had also been through something traumatic so that could be another deterrent from her having sex with the annoying shadowquip mage.

"Hey boss man," Bickslow stated as he walked into the room where Laxus was still very much death gripping the banister. "Lucy will be safe with Van and you know he won't do anything to her." Bickslow had been voluntold to come up and try to talk down the angry dragon slayer since he was the only teammate immediately available. Even though they were all his teammates since they were in the same damn guild.  _Freed was right._  Bickslow internally sighed and while the rune mage wouldn't openly rub it in his face he would still get that damn 'I told you so' smirk on his smug face.

"The man who charmed a virgin noble to be married in less than 24 hours into having sex with him isn't an issue with Lucy?" Laxus glowered at his best friend.

"Well at least he's aware that she's your mate," Bickslow divulged to the older blonde. "I don't think he'd want to fuck with you over something he could get from literally anyone." Laxus gave him a pointed look, not believing what Bickslow was trying to tell him.

"Not even a direct order from your Dad could keep his hands to himself, tongue in his mouth, or dick in his pants." Bickslow flinched at that comment because it was true and his dad had a lot of damage control to do after the whole 'fucking a virgin noble in a laundry closet' incident.

"Why don't you let me reach out to him and see if I can't get him back here?" Kaleb said coming through the doorway. He had done his own damage control with Emzadi to assure the club patrons that everything was fine. I little mindbending here so they all forgot his roar and sparks and everything was back in full swing, however, the burns marks up here would need to be repaired before the opened for business the next day.

"Solid plan Kaleb! Vander can't ignore you unless he has magic canceling cuff on."

"Or unless he's in another country since Kaleb has some issues reaching such long distances," snickered Emzadi who patted her brother's shoulder as she walked by. The rest of their group arrived and stood since most everything was scorched or burnt. "You WILL be replacing all of the shit you damaged. I'll send you the bill." Laxus rolled his eyes. Money wasn't an issue for him since he was an S Class mage in Fiore and had been doing well for himself in White Sea as an SS Class mage.

"Just give me a moment to reach out to him." Kaleb started doing his thing, but when his power levels increased so did Laxus' grip on the banister. This was not what he needed right now! "I can't reach him. He's not in magic canceling cuffs because I get a static feeling when I do that, so then he must be . . . out . . . of . . . Bosco." The wooden banister snapped, the sound of splintering wood causing everyone to flinch and back away from the lightning crackling mage. Hopefully, Lucy wasn't in any serious trouble or else Vander would be worse than dead, and somehow they wouldn't blame Laxus too much for it.

* * *

Piercing jade eyes followed the two new arrivals who had just recently landed in Minstrel, not believing his good fortune. He watched the two of them walk arm in arm to a small cafe on the outskirts of the city and couldn't wait to report this back to the Master. They had been waiting for an opportunity like this for a while and if they could succeed the reward for such a mission would be enough to set their guild up for everything for the next three years. He would also be handsomely rewarded from his Master for gathering this intel and promptly delivering it. The man transformed into a large black bat and took off into the night sky, hastily making his way to the guild.

When he arrived in the main entryway his Master was walking down the stairs from his office. The Master took one look at him and beckoned him to follow his lead. The Master had started the dark guild Shadow of the Stars several years back, but none of them asked about his past after one foolhardy member had and met his immediate death. The Master had very few rules, one of which was to never to inquire about his past and every member, old or new, respected that. His long silver hair hung loosely down his back and he wore tighter fitting clothes that were more like a second skin with an elegant face and shining grey eyes. The man was strict in the rules of his guild but he was fair, which wasn't something you found very often in a dark guild. The only thing that he let be known about himself was that he was Boscan and wanted his guild to enjoy the pleasure of others and if members raped anyone within the guild, or outside, then they would die.

"What do you have for me Rakeshi?" he asked as he closed the door of a vacant room behind the two of them.

"I spotted Vander and blonde bimbo in the square tonight. They were headed to the cafe on the outskirts of town." His Master's eyes lit up and a pleased smile crossed his thin lips.

"That is . . . the most wonderful news I have heard in a long time Rakeshi!"

"Thank you, Master," Rakeshi dipped his head showing his gratitude at the praise that was bestowed on him. His Master beckoned him forward, grabbing both of his hands in his own and kissed the tops of them.

"I imagine you would like part of your reward then?"

"If it pleases you, Master."

"I will have the jewel transferred to you in the morning, but for now," Rakeshi held his breath as his Master undid the zipper on his pants then pulled his pants and boxers down in one swift movement to reveal his erect member. "You have pleased me greatly Rakeshi and as much I am going to show you just how happy I am."

"Of course Master Hestor."

* * *

**Italian Translations**

Principessa della notte - Princess of the night


	11. Chapter 11

Arman was pacing back and forth in his study after word had reached him, via Kaleb, that Vander had taken Lucy from the club and was no longer reachable with his mindlink. There were only two possibilities for that: A) He was in another country and didn't want to be found or B) Vander had magic canceling cuffs slapped on his wrists. Either way, Arman was worried about his son and his newest daughter. Lucy might not be part of the family by blood or paperwork but she was kin to Cristoff and Emzadi, plus she was slowly making her way into each of his other children's heart, so that made her part of his family. Arman had sent word to a couple of friends in several close countries to notify him if they happened to see Vander with a blonde woman, one of the perks of being an ambassador for so many years.

He was waiting for the rest of his children and those that had gone to the club with them to return to the estate. Mr. Elan was preparing snacks for everyone as well as breaking out some spiced peach vodka because they were all going to need a shot whether something bad had happened or not. Vander had always been the one to get into the most trouble as a child which followed him closely into adulthood. Arman had lost count how many times he had to smooth things over with a noble, governor, King or Queen, but the requests to have Vander as a promised from the upper class in several countries still came in. His youngest son had the hardest time with his magic and conquering the void demons within the shadows. Arman had always wondered if there was a way to permanently keep the voids from trying to latch on and eat his soul, acquire his magic, and gain access to this realm. Maybe one day he'd find the key to keeping his son safe, but for now, he'd make his way down to the kitchen where he knew everyone would be coming to regroup.

"Sorry we took so long to get here dad. It took a while to get Laxus calmed down and for Kaleb to work his magic on the patrons," Emzadi said giving her father a kiss on the cheek, plucking a green grape from the vine and popping it in her mouth before sitting in a chair. "Any word from anyone in your network yet?"

"Unfortunately no," sighed Arman as he elegantly sat down in a chair beside his daughter. "I wanted to give them a few hours to get the word out and give their people a chance to look around."

"Presca is back from a job so we can always enlist him to help us track Van down as well," Kaleb offered. Presca was an amazing energy mage that often partnered with Vander on missions for White Sea and the Steel Council. They were the best known trackers in all of Bosco and Kaleb was fortunate to have both in his guild. Presca would be able to track Vander's magic signature over vast distances so at least they would be able to have piece of mind.

"Two hours. I will give my contacts two more hours before we ask Presca for his help, but for now how about we sit down and have a midnight snack?" Arman asked and on queue Mr. Elan started bringing on several trays of assorted meats, cheeses, and crackers with the fruit already laid out for them.

"Do you honestly think they're in trouble?" Xally quietly asked the table.

"I don't," Bickslow answered first. "Vander is a reckless shit and lives in the moment, but he isn't stupid. Lucy sure as fuck isn't, so if he hasn't checked in within the hour than I guarantee you that Lucy will."

"You are quite right Mr. Bickslow," a feminine voice said from behind him, scaring the seith mage out of his seat face planting into the floor.

"Dammit Virgo! How many times have I told you not to scare me?" Bickslow closed his eyes to briefly get his magic under control.

"Several Mr. Bickslow. Punishment?"

"No Virgo, but can you tell us where Lucy is at?" Bickslow set his chair upright and sat back down.

"Princess and Mr. Vander are currently visiting Chesapea Bay in Minstrel. They had landed in the capital to eat and then took off with Princess to show her a surprise there. Princess wanted to make sure everyone knew she was safe and asked if I would ensure you knew."

"Thank you Virgo. Is there anything else?"

"No Mr. Pradesh, that is all." Virgo poofed back to the spiritual world leaving everyone sighing in relief.

"Do we wait for them to come back or do we go get them anyways?" Evergreen asked the table. She was still concerned about Lucy since she had a very large target on her back still.

"Leave em," Laxus' burly voice sounded throughout the room as he stood in the doorway. "Lucy doesn't know she's my mate, the other fucker is fully aware and will deal with me once he returns, but I won't spoil her night now." Laxus sat down beside Cristoff and helped himself to some food.

"Accepting it finally?" Cristoff asked narrowing his eyes at the lightning slayer, not fully believing this miraculous turnaround.

"Working on it. I still have a hard time understanding why she's my mate and everything else, but I can't keep denying that she is," Laxus answered his dragon kin. "I'll work on the rest as I go."

"Do we even know if Lucy wants to stay in Bosco?" Farron asked as he and Freed entered the kitchen hand-in-hand.

"No. I've been trying to sit down and talk to Tink about what she wants to do, but some busybodies keep monopolizing her time," he glared at the three women in the room.

"Don't blame us you overgrown snake. You could have easily asked Lucy for ten minutes of her time at any point," Evergreen retorted looking over the tops of her glasses while Cobra glared back at the fairy mage but didn't say anything because she was right. "You're afraid that she'll leave you, leave Bosco, and run back to Magnolia in hopes of reuniting with her team, but she won't."

"How do you know fairy freak? She could literally do anything she wants so why would she want anything to do with a cretin like me?" Evergreen smiled softly at the poison slayer.

"I know because her heart is here, in Bosco," Evergreen patiently replied to the snarky man. "Her new family is here, and while we may not be the original family she had, we are the ones who have stuck beside her. Lucy won't forget you so stop being dramatic, that's my job." Evergreen smirked at the maroon-haired man, who was smirking back at her.

"Eat, sleep, and wait to see what time Lucy drags Van's ass back to Bosco?" Bickslow asked while his babies chanted, "Drag Van's ass."

"Sounds good. Pass the spiced vodka this way," Laxus grunted. If he was going to have to wait for Lucy and Vander to show back up he might as well have a couple shots to take the edge off and maybe he could sleep which was doubtful.

* * *

Hestor was waiting for Rakeshi to return from his scouting job and to inform him where Vander and the blonde had disappeared too. He was eager to get his plan into action and start terrorizing the family of White Sea's guildmaster. He had been in a light guild long enough to know how they operated using that to his advantage when he started his dark guild. He had been born in Minstrel and raised in Bosco so he saw himself as a Boscan and preferred that way of life. His parents were happily living in Pelerno, but after he had been stripped of his rank and thrown out of White Sea they refused to talk to him, to acknowledge his presence. One tiny miscalculation in his plan had screwed everything up for him.

However, now he had amassed a large following of dark mages from Bosco and Minstrel with some very talented mages in his group. Mages that would help him bring the cocky Master of White Sea to his knees and into Hestor's bed where he belonged. He had a metal mage amongst his team that had worked for Princess Kurino of Bosco helping her with creating the manacles that held Kaleb and Cristoff's enormous powers at bay. Even if plan A didn't work, then plan B definitely would and Kaleb, plus his guild, would be his for the taking. The flashing glow of his com caught his eye, grinning with the fact that his plan was about to be set into motion.

"Master Hestor," Rakeshi's thin face appeared. "I have located Vander and his blonde friend."

"Very good Rakeshi. Ensure that he doesn't leave without our present, yes?"

"Of course Master." Hestor's com went dark and he smiled at nothing in particular in the dimly lit office.

* * *

Lucy was having an amazing time with the flirty shadowquip mage who had taken her to Chesapea Bay where they were swimming with a family of hippocampus. Vander told Lucy of one of his tracking missions for White Sea had led him through the bay this time several years ago where he happened upon the family of three swimming leisurely. Vander had been curious about them so he wandered into the water and waited patiently for an hour before they large male decided to approach him, cautiously. Its wet muzzle had blown hot air into his face before it nuzzled him in acceptance and Vander was able to stroke its elegant rainbow scales. Every year he would make several trips to visit the family which had now grown to five mated pairs and their offspring.

Lucy had never seen anything like them before but they had stolen her breath away. Their multicolored scales glowed in the moonlight but camouflaged well with the water, making them nearly undetectable. These sea creatures had the head of a horse with a long, powerful body that trailed down to its tail and had two sets of flippers to help them swing at astonishing speeds. They all had coal black eyes that seemed to sparkle with laughter whenever the babies splashed her with their tails. Lucy was standing knee deep in the water in a solid pink bathing suit, thanks to Virgo who had swapped her clothes, splashing back whenever they slowed down enough for her to do so.

"This is amazing Van! How come you haven't brought Xally here? She'd go nuts," Lucy laughed when water hit her face from one of the more rambunctious babies she was playing with.

"I've thought about it, but she'd want to study and research them before feeling obligated to report their location to some lame organization. They'd probably never come back once a bunch of dorky marine biologists came along. Fuck to the no was I letting that happen and having them run off." Vander loved Xally greatly, but her ideas on the preservation of wild species could be toned down a bit. Don't get him wrong she had done amazing things to help the Kelpie Sea Horses from the poachers that seemed to come by every year, but until he was worried that something may be wrong she wouldn't be any wiser.

"Who else have you brought here?" Lucy asked turning to face Vander who was just getting into the water now.

"Presca was with me on the mission, but other than that no-one." He hadn't wanted to share this place with anyone until meeting Lucy. The way her light shone through her chocolate orbs had him trying anything to keep it there. He still couldn't understand why he was drawn to her but whatever the reason he was more than happy to have met her.

"Did peg you for one to get tattoos." Vander grabbed both her wrists in his hands and looked at the marking she had on them, the one seemed really familiar to him.

"They're my kin markings. Cobra and Cristoff," Lucy wiggled each wrist that was in his grasp when she said the names of the slayers. "I also have Ezmzadi and Xally on my ankles with Xally's being a tattoo that I made magical."

"What does one have to do to earn a spot on your skin? I'm down for anything so let's see your kinky side," Vander waggled his eyebrows at Lucy making her laugh.

"Doesn't work like that," giggled the celestial mage. "Let's head to shore and change and I'll explain it to you."

"Luuuucy. I just got in the water."

"Then play with your friends before coming home honey," Lucy smiled while gliding out of the waters to the sandy shore. Lucy called Aries out and asked for a wool towel before asking if Virgo sent her with any clothes. The shy pinkette handed Lucy a simple black halter dress and underwear and then created a wool barrier for her to change and once she had helped her Princess she returned home. Lucy felt a shiver go up her spine and spun around looking at the treeline that was forty feet from her. Someone was watching them, she was positive.

"Hey, Van I think that we . . ." Lucy heard a high pitch whistle before Vander was struck with a dart in the side of his arm. He collapsed onto one of the hippocampuses alarming Lucy who called Leo and Capricorn out to watch her back as went to gather Vander calling Taurus to carry the large mage to shore.

"Princess," Leo addressed as she came out of the water. "Are you hurt?"

"No Loke," Lucy shook her head. "I am fine. Whoever it was wasn't after me, which is an oddity in itself. Can we get Serpens to figure out what's in this dart, please Capricorn?"

"At once Miss Lucy."

"Leo I need you to go back and get Cris. He can try healing Vander and teleport us back to the estate. Please hurry!" Both spirits went to do their keyholder's bidding as she held Vander who was starting to shake slightly in her arms. Tears were gathering in her eyes but she stubbornly pushed them back. She had to be strong for him and ensure that nothing else happened while she waited.  _Please hurry Loke._

* * *

Back at the Pradesh estate, everyone was having a grand time talking, drinking and eating the scrumptious food that Mr. Elan had prepared. Laxus was actually having fun and thought that the night wasn't a total bust afterall. Apparently he thought that too soon as he watched Arman slump forward in his chair followed by all of his children leaving Cobra, Freed, Evergreen, and himself to gape at the family. They rushed around checking everyone's pulses thankful that they were all breathing.

"What the fuck is going on!"


	12. Chapter 12

 

Laxus looked around the table, still utterly perplexed, as to why the entire Pradesh family was suddenly out for the count. He could feel Cristoff's magic gathering so it was only a matter of time before he would wake up. Even knowing this it didn't make a lick of sense. He had Freed checking the enchantments around the estate, Evergreen was flying around the outside to see if anything looked out of place, and Cobra was listening to the souls of everyone that was left that night.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing was wrong with the estate, the people within it, or the outside surrounding area. WHAT THE FUCK! This made no fucking sense and the four mages were starting too slightly panic. Cobra's soul magic couldn't read what was going on either, just kept getting blurs of darkness every time he went to look them. Laxus' head whipped to the left as he heard Cristoff groan and began to sit up.

"That was un-fucking-pleasant," muttered the lunar slayer as he let his eyes re-focus on his surroundings. He looked at the wide-eyed looks from the four Fairy Tail mages, slightly confused until he looked at the rest of his passed out family.

"What happened to you?" Evergreen gently asked, hoping to not make the slayer freak out more than they were.

"Something happened to Vander." Cristoff began to walk around the room to wake his family up from their current situation. "When we were younger Dad had all of us, excluding Zen since he was supposedly dead, do a Familial Bonding Ceremony. The gist of it is that we all shared a very teeny tiny portion of each others soul so that if any of us were in mortal harm someone would know. However there are only nine people who know about this, seven are in this room, one with Lucy, and the last is Uncle Tesso."

"How can you tell it was Vander and why did it knock all of you out?" Freed had heard of something like this being performed once but the spell was complicated as it was to be replicated like a slayers mating bond. Being able to feel another's emotions, know when they are in danger, and help track them if necessary.

"Vander's magic is out of control and I was swimming in a sea of darkness," Cristoff moved to his father, who was the last to be woken up, "The only way any of us would be temporarily knocked out would be if their life was in mortal danger. The magic will act up and show us glimpses of who it is, supposedly. This was the first time it has ever happened."

"Do we know where Vander is yet?" Arman asked standing up and pushed his chair back with his arms braced on the table.

"No, we haven't he . . . " Freed started to say before a puff of smoke caught everyone's attention. "Loke, what brings you here?"

"Lucy's with Vander and something is seriously wrong with the shadowquip mage," Loke paled slightly when he heard several growls and put his hands up in his defense. "Don't shoot the messenger. Lucy asked me to bring Cristoff with me so that he could try to heal Vander after he was shot with a rather nasty ass dart of some kind." Cristoff went to stand beside the lion spirit with a serious look on his face.

"I'll bring him back and find the fucker who dared to hurt our family!" Golden lights floated around the room before they disappeared leaving several very tense mages to wait.

* * *

Hestor was watching everything unfold with Vander and the busty blonde from his L-tablet, cackling in amusement. Stage one of his plan had been flawless and was executed perfectly. He'd only been able to see the last few minutes on his L-tablet due to some interference, but watching her cry over the seizing shadowquip brat made him so happy. He'd weaken all of Kaleb's family members one-by-one until it was only him left, then strike a deal to release his siblings if Kaleb married him. Hestor would have the White Sea guild at his beck and call, the Pradesh family would kneel before him, and Kaleb would be all his.

The water mage was his next target and his mages were crafting something special for her as well, just like they had done for Vander. He had some talented mages who knew how to work with plants, animals, and magic in varying degrees. What they had concocted for Vander was a very deadly, extremely potent nightmare shade, one that fed off the shadows and voids that Vander's magic was immersed in. The cocky brat would be immediately cast into his own shadows while the void demons chased and ate the last of his white soul, corrupting him until he set them free. Then Vander would have to be killed since he was a threat to the innocent people of Bosco. Vander dying wasn't a slight to him at all, as long as the other members of the family were kept alive Kaleb would surrender to him. Xally would be drinking an odorless, tasteless, colorless water toxin that once was in her system would put her in a catatonic state physically and magically.

Nothing could interfere with his plans and he would finally win!

* * *

Loke pulled Cristoff into a street of a random small town, shushing the large dragon slayer who as growling at him. He was listening to Lucy as she was instructing him on what was happening right now. Loke's brows furrowed as he began to tell her not do anything stupid, but she cut off their mental connection.

"What's going on Leo!"

"Lucy said that there's someone still watching her. She has discretely sent Virgo and Gemini, dressed as Jet from Fairy Tail, to patrol the perimeter. I am going to drop you off in the forest, but I need you to make it look like you're moon jumping."

"Three gates open, Leo that's quite taxing."

"My Princess is stronger than you think. Oh and pretend like you don't know her. It's part of her plan." Loke quickly moved them to the forest, dropping Cristoff off before heading back to the celestial world to watch from the viewing pool.

"Vander!" Cristoff yelled as he ran from the forest to the beach in record time, completely ignoring Lucy. Lucy moved away from the lunar slayer as his hands began to glow, assessing his brother. "Lucy," he whispered to the blonde. "I am taking him back to the estate. What do I do about you?"

"Go!" He looked into her confident, warm eyes and knew that she was telling him to take Vander and go. He scooped the man into his arms and let the moonlight fill him up before he shifted. It took one lunar shift to get them back to the estate and into the medical area where Xally was waiting for them.

"What do we have?"

"I don't know! My magic can't heal whatever is going on with him, it's like the darkness is overpowering everything." Cristoff was pissed beyond belief, barely holding it together as his brother started to seize again. They were lasting five seconds but his body was thrashing around so much that he knocked a vase over with his arm. Xally put a cooling hand over Vander's forehead and the seizing stopped. Cristoff watched as she pushed her magic through him, biting her lip as she went back and forth with her hands. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked up at Cristoff.

"Cris I can't . . . I can't figure out what's wrong either," Xally collapsed into her brother's arms as the rest of the mages piled into the room. Arman looked at Cristoff who shook his head no. Kaleb and Cobra walked up to Vander, both trying to use their brand of magic on the man to figure out why he was in such a state.

"Nothing. I can't hear any of his thoughts. Its . . . its like he's not even there." Kaleb looked to Cobra wishing, hoping, praying that he had something more.

"His soul is quiet, eerily quiet. Bicklsow what can you see?" The seith mage's eyes glowed green as he took a look into Vander's soul.

"Vander's soul is slowly darkening. I don't know why . . . I can't see what's going on it's too muddled up. Fuck!" Bickslow fell into a chair behind him eyes wide and full of unshed tears. "Where's Lucy?"

"She told me to leave her behind. She has a plan and Leo said not to worry." Cristoff answered still holding a weeping Xally and looking at the rest of his family who were barely holding back their own tears of despair.

"Dad," Emzadi hugged the man from the side. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know Emzadi. I don't know."

* * *

Lucy was had rushed off into the woods to where Gemini Jet and Virgo were patiently waiting for her. She knew that they were still being watched after Vander had been shot with Mavis knows what, years of being spied on and parts of evil plots had honed that instinctual gut feeling. This time she was going to act on it and do everything she could to help her new guild, or soon to be new guild. Lucy had made up her mind while talking with Vander that night and he had made some great points. 1 - Laxus and the Thunder Legion were here so she knew that someone from her old life, 2 - White Sea guild had been around for more than four hundred years, 3 - there were over four thousand mages in multiple branches so she could literally live anywhere in Bosco, 4 - was his family adored her already, and 5 - because he was there. Lucy had laughed at the shadowquip mage.

Gemini Jet went through the forest to find the mages responsible for hurting Vander in the first place and Virgo was going to set up the trap while Lucy used herself as bait. They'd been watching her so they knew she had one spirit for sure and most people underestimated celestial mages. Gemini turned into Lucy and began their trek towards the two men that had been found earlier. Virgo had dug a well placed twenty-foot hole and was waiting with magic canceling handcuffs while Lucy waited from behind a tree to act if necessary. Gemini Lucy 'tripped' and landed in front of Virgo's trap screaming as she fell and landed in the dirt.

"Rakeshi, think we should help this woman back to town or take her with us back to the boss?" A lime green haired man asked his partner.

"She has a low level of celestial magic, so I think Master Hestor would be interested in her to some degree. I think we should take her back Cain," Rakeshi looked over the voluptuous blonde, fully knowing what his master would do to her body before having his team experiment on her. It was a shame too, she was such an attractive little thing. He turned on the L-tablet that was broadcasting back to his master, knowing that he'd heard about the blonde being a celestial mage. The two unsuspecting mages walked over to Gemini Lucy who was sitting on the ground with tears in her eyes.

"Are you here to help me?" her voice cracked as she turned her watery eyes to the two men. "Van . . . Vander brought me here but something happened to him before some man took him away and left me all alone." She wailed placing her face in her hands.

"Don't worry gorgeous. Rakeshi and I will help you to a safer place," the black-eyed mage said as they drew closer to the blonde.

"Oh thank you! I was so worried I'd be out here for days," she shyly smiled back up at them.

"Cain and I will ensure that your safety is our first priority." Which wasn't a lie, they would make sure she was made it safely back to the guild, but from there on out it was anyone's guess. The men were directly in front of Gemini Lucy when Virgo pulled the trigger to her trap and the men went tumbling down, hitting their heads on the way knocking themselves out. Virgo easily slapped on the cuffs and waited for her keyholder to show up.

"Awesome work you two! Gemini I want you to copy both of them, just in case something happens and we lose them. Virgo take them to the celestial world dungeons until I contact you. Great work as always!" Lucy beamed at her two spirits who reciprocated her thanks and Gemi and Mini headed back home. "Virgo?"

"Open gate of the winged horse, Pegasus," the chiming of her spirit coming through the gate was a welcoming sound. The spirit in front of her was a gorgeous white stallion with a large feathered wingspan that was twice as long as his body. His hooves were golden which were the same color as his eyes with an aquamarine mane and tail that was swishing from side to side. This silver key was by far her most normal looking spirit she had in her collection, granted he could transform himself into the size of a small dog and tended to act like a puppy in that form.

"Think you can take me all the way back to Pelerno tonight?"  _Princess has used a fair bit of her power already tonight with three spirits being out, but I think we should be alright._ "Thank you, Pegasus." As Lucy was getting ready to climb onto her spirit's back she noticed a brief flash of something in the moonlight and walked over to where it was coming from. It turned out to be the one man's L-tablet who must have dropped it when he had taken his lovely trip into the dirt. Lucy put it into her bag that was holding Vander and her clothes from earlier and hopped onto Pegasus' back. Fisting her hands in his mane they took off into the night sky and with any luck, they'd be back by the time the sun rose to a happy, cocky Vander.


	13. Chapter 13

Lucy was trying her best to keep her power levels up as she arrived in Pelerno on Pegasus, heading to the Pradesh estate. Her vision was starting to blur as the sun made its way over the horizon and she started to do the head bob.  _Princess, is that the lightning slayer on the balcony?_  Lucy squinted her eyes, attempting to focus in on the man, but he was just too far away for her to make out who it was. Lucy took in a deep breath and yelled the slayer's name, she was so ridiculously close to the estate but her world tipped on its axis as she plummeted to the ground below. She should scream, should be terrified, but the only she could feel was the looming darkness as her vision went black.

Laxus was standing on the balcony trying to gather his emotions and thoughts over what had been occurring. He needed some fresh air and a fresh perspective from the doom and gloom that was eating away at the hearts of everyone in the room. Laxus heard his name and looked up to see Lucy flying on a spirit, his eyes widening suddenly as the white winged horse disappeared watching Lucy free fall. He gathered his magic and shot off with a flash of light erupting under his feet. He caught her in his arms before teleporting them back to the balcony where Cristoff and Bickslow were waiting for him.

"What the hell happened to Cosplayer, Boss?"

"She came in on a flying white horse then she was suddenly falling."

"She's used up her magic reserves," Cristoff placed a glowing hand over her tired frame. "They are incredibly low, so she must have been busy, but I can give her some back since we are both from the sky. It should be enough for her to wake up, but she's on her own after that."

"Mhmm. Laxus . . ."

"Hey, Blondie. You scared the shit out of me."

"How's Vander?" Lucy hadn't opened her eyes yet, her voice screamed of how tired she was.

"He's alive."

"But? I can hear it in your voice, what's wrong?" Lucy's chocolate brown eyes looked into Laxus' stormy ones, pleading to be told what had happened.

"The voids are eating his soul Cosplayer," Bickslow dejectedly told the celestial mage. "We have all tried everything but nothing is working." The two male mages looked around at one another, consumed in their own misery to notice she placed a hand on her keys, Crux responding to her request.

"Take me to him, please Laxus?" Laxus lifted her petite body up and carried into the room where the rest of the Pradesh and Thunder Legion mages were at. Emzadi was curled up on Arman's lap, Xally was laying with Kaleb and Farron on a spare bed, Evergreen was tucked into the poison slayer's side as Freed continued to rifle through books with a pair of gale force reading glasses. Lucy's heart broke upon seeing the crestfallen looks on their faces, the tears that had been shed visible in all of their eyes.

"May I have a moment alone, please? I'll send Loke out if something happens." With his name being called the spirit opened his own gate, a look of indifference on his face.

"We'll be out here when you're finished my dear," Arman handed Emzadi over to Cristoff, ushering his children out the door.

"Princess are you sure? Crux said this has never been done before and is extremely dangerous," Loke whispered to his tired keyholder.

"I have to try Loke, especially when it could be his last hope." Her teary gaze met his own and he knew he'd lost. It felt like yesterday that she was saving his sorry ass from being erased forever, pleading with the Spirit King to let him return home. Sighing he nodded his head, Lucy grabbed his hand in silent thanks. "Aries will come through her own gate to put up a wool wall, so you'll have three minutes to finish the spell before they all break through it." The moment he left Aries was in his spot erecting a bright pink wool wall around the immediate area and then one around the perimeter of the room. Lucy swung a leg on either side of Vander's hips placing her hands on his chest.

_Light of the Heavens_

_Hear my Plea_

_Join our Souls_

_To Save a Loved One_

_From Eternal Darkness_

_CELESTIAL TWIN FLAME!_

Lucy slumped forward, falling onto Vander's still form as the other mages broke the door tearing into the pink wool. They were all screaming at Lucy and Vander clawing their way through to get to them. Kaleb was the first to reach them, being repelled by an invisible barrier, throwing him back into Cristoff who caught the man.

"What in the ever-loving hell was that?" Kaleb yelled as he pushed himself away from Cristoff. He fisted his hands at his side as he glared at the shimmering barrier.

"It's a barrier of protection cast around the one who issued a spell. It's incredibly strong and I doubt that I will be able to break it, not that it'd be a good idea." Freed was analyzing the barrier, trying to figure out if there was a way in without hurting the two trapped within it.

"Why the hell not?" Laxus glared at one of his oldest friends.

"If we disturb the spell there may be unforeseen problems, like neither being woken up or both being cast into Vander's darkness. There are too many variables." Evergreen put a sympathetic hand on Freed's shoulder as the run mage slumped, the stress of the day wearing on him.

"What the hell have you done Tink?"

* * *

Vander was floating in the darkness, waiting with knives in hand to fend off the void demons that were trying to take him over. He didn't know what the fuck had happened once that dart struck him but he was trapped within the shadows of his own magic. He was fighting for his very soul! Void demons were nasty pieces of shit, always trying to tempt him to the darkness, to swallow everything about him. His soul was a brilliant white light that kept the shadows at bay but they were slowly eating at it, his strength to fight them off waning with his resolve.

His father had searched for years to try to find a more permanent way to keep the darkness at bay but every lead turned cold. Vander eventually learned to work through it with the help of Kaleb and Bickslow and their unique magic. Kaleb had helped him to create a barrier within his mind so that when he was traveling the shadows he wasn't constantly bombarded with their whispers. Bickslow had shown him how to tether his soul to happy memories in case he needed something positive to brighten his soul to continue to fight.

He had mastered his shadowquip abilities by the time he was ten, kept them under control for the next eleven years, well until now. Vander was finding it difficult to stay focused on his positive memories, the ones that had gotten him through everything in life – the love of his family. They had shared so many crazy and amazing moments together that it filled his heart with joy. Now . . . Now he might never get to see any of his siblings get married and have kids, see his father get old and grayer, piss Laxus off at every given opportunity, and ask Lucy to be his sister like she had with Cristoff, Emzadi, and Xally.

Instead, the Steel Council would put a bounty on his head and be ordered to kill him to save the innocents of Bosco. The void demons would possess his body going around feeding the pure souls of anyone and everyone in sight until they were powerful enough to survive in Ishgar on their own. He was hoping that it'd be a painless and quick death should it boil down to that. That thought had Vander dropping his knives and slumped to the 'floor' as he watched a dozen demons come in for another attack. He didn't have the strength to go on, couldn't find any happiness within him to even make a faint glow within himself.

A blinding light erupted in the middle of the darkness causing the demons to scream and shield their black eyes from the brilliant golden glow. Vander covered his own eyes as well which were watering from the shock of something other than seeing black. As the glow got closer he heard his name being called over and over, looking up to see a blinding smile and the most comforting brown eyes he'd never thought he'd see again.

"Lucy?" Vander said in awe as he stared at her.

"I have been looking everywhere in this desolate wasteland for your sorry ass! Don't you dare give up so fucking easily Vander Jerico Pradesh!" Vander stared at her as if she was calling his very essence, bringing him back to life. "I haven't been fighting off countless ugly demons to find you and take you home, so get up! I need you to take my hand and fair warning this is going to hurt." Lucy outstretched her hand as Vander firmly gripped it. Lucy felt a piece of herself tear away and float into Vander, she screamed as it was happening. Vander stood there grunting as he was forced to take in her soul. When it was done though he . . . weird. Like he was made of sparkles and gold dust, entirely too giddy for someone like him.

"What the hell was that Starshine?"

"No time to explain. You should be able to take us back to the land of the living and promise you won't piss Laxus off for at least twenty-four hours. He's already going to be irate when we get back."

"Spoilsport," huffed the grinning shadowquip mage. "Why will he pissed off?"

"I may have barricaded them out of the room so that I could save you using the last of my magic . . ."

"So the entire family will be fit to be tied when I wake up? That'll be a fun family setting." Vander cheekily replied grabbing Lucy and whisking her back to . . . well, wherever their bodies were. He was eager to hear how she had pulled this all off and just how long he'd been trapped.

Vander groaned as he began to wake up, blinking his eyes several times to look at the white ceiling of the medical room. He felt a weight being lifted off of him followed by several feet scurrying off to who knows where. The cool watery feel of Xally's magic flowed over and around his body easing all aches and pains he was feeling. He sat up in his bed rolling his shoulders not liking how tense they had become while he was out. He finally looked into the teary eyes of his family who all decided that a dog pile was necessary.

"Get off me! You're all too fuckin' heavy! I'll be crushed!" Arman's laughter rang out as he watched his children beam with happiness, his own heartwarming at the sight.

"When did you get a tat, Van?" Bickslow asked pointing to the one peaking out from his unbuttoned shirt. Vander looked down in confusion seeing a yellow yip peeking out, before ripping his shirt open buttons flying everywhere. There on his chest above where his heart would be was a golden eight-point star, with the north, east, south, and west points being longer than the other four.

The star was solid gold and nestled in the middle of it was a black teardrop, the contrast in color making the teardrop pop out. Vander ran his hand over the new symbol and flashes of memories played before him, ones that were mostly not his own. He saw Lucy smiling as her mother called Aquarius out for the first time, Lucy joining Fairy Tail, missions with her team and the craziness at the guild, watching Laxus become guild master, to meeting him and his family. The love that she felt in each moment was overwhelming as tears flowed freely down his check landing on the white sheet covering his legs.

Vander ripped the sheet off himself and tore through the house trying to find where Laxus and Cristoff had taken Lucy, his family hot on his heels. He found them in her room Laxus cradling Lucy rocking her back and forth as she whined randomly. Lucy was still dressed in her ratty clothes from earlier as Cristoff hovered over Lucy healing minor scratches and wind burns. Cristoff walked over and hugged his brother in a tight embrace, which Vander returned.

"What's wrong with Lucy?"

"We don't know Van. Hell, we don't even know what she did to bring you back." Cristoff ran a frustrated hand through his black locks.

"Perhaps I can help fill in the blanks?" Loke stepped through his own gate and was met with a combination of glares and curiosity. He knew that once Lucy had decided to do this for Vander that he'd be the one to face everyone's wrath, he just hoped it wouldn't lead to anything too drastic.

"What did Lucy do that helped save my son?"

"She created an everlasting soul bond called Twin Flame." Loke looked from Lucy to Vander then back to Lucy with a frown. Something wasn't quite right with how she was acting after the bond was complete, but then again no one knew for sure what would happen. "Vander's soul was being eaten by the demons giving him very little hope and light to cling too. Once she got on Vander's plain she did fight off countless voids using her Leo Stardress form because celestial light is so much more intense than regular light, but not as blinding as the sun. Lucy took a piece of her soul to mend what had been broken in Vander's, which almost damn near gives him immunity to all shadows now." Bickslow's eyes glowed as he started to look into Vander's soul, what he saw had his jaw going slack.

"Van, your soul is littered with golden dots everywhere, they almost look like . . . well like stars, hidden amongst your own soul." Bickslow stated somewhat in awe since no one else could see what he was seeing. He looked over at Lucy still nestled in Laxus' arms, shaking like a leaf, and saw no damage . . . "Cosplayer just split her soul, so how can she not have any damage?"

"It's part of being a powerful celestial mage. Lucy is special, has always had an insane ability to know what people could be saved," Loke made a point of looking at Cobra, "and who would never be able to come back from the darkness. If Lucy feels strongly about something or someone, she can use her power to manifest something that most mages could only dream of."

"Like our kin markings," an awed Cristoff looked at his wrist suddenly aware of the importance of these symbols given by Lucy.

"Correct. Once she mates with Laxus she'll come into her own even more." Loke grinned at the shocked look on the lightning slayer's face. "Yea we know all about that and if you don't pull your head out of your ass and tell her then we've been given permission by the Spirit King to inform our Princess of this," Laxus growled at the lion spirit who was too smug to give a shit about Laxus' emotional unavailability.

"Then what's happening to Lucy now?" Evergreen asked while watching Lucy shake and convulse occasionally.

"She's working off the effects of being in the shadows for almost twelve hours while dealing with a severe case of magic depletion on top of using an incredibly powerful spell to save this one," Loke gestured over to Vander. "She'll sleep for a while but the King says not to worry that all is fine. I'll see you all when our Princess wakes up."

"It has been a very long and emotional day, so how about we all get some rest and convene in the morning. I am sure Lucy will want to make sure Vander, and everyone else, is alright once she's better." Arman ushered everyone but Laxus out of the room, giving the dragon slayer some much needed alone time with his kind-hearted mate. Arman was thinking of ways to pay Lucy back for bringing his son back from what could have very well been a very horrific ending.

Laxus placed Lucy on the bed, stripping down to his boxers before crawling into bed and pulling Lucy close to him. He'd been a right ass about going about claiming Lucy as his mate, ignoring her wasn't his best idea. Alright, he was fucking stupid. She somehow managed to worm her way into the Pradesh family's hearts, which wasn't an easy feat and had won them all over with her love, light, and laughter. She'd done the same thing with him, now he just needed to figure out a way to show her he wasn't an unemotional asshole. Mavis, this was going to test all of his limits but he knew that she'd be worth it a hundred times over in the end.


	14. Chapter 14

Lucy groaned as she started to wake from the weirdest dream she had ever had. She'd been fighting black faceless monsters from eating away the light that she held for what felt like eons. She sat up in her bed looking around the familiar room as a soft wind blew off the Grass Sea and filled her room. Lucy sighed and threw the covers off herself and swung her bare legs off the end, then froze. Her legs were covered in cuts that looked as if they'd barely healed so she took off to the bathroom to stand in front of the full-length mirror and barely concealed the scream that was working its way up her throat. What the hell had happened to her?

"Princess," Loke opened his own gate feeling Lucy's distress. "Lucy, look at me and breath." He grabbed the blonde by the shoulders and forced her to look directly at him. "Tell me all that you remember from the last week."

"Vander was poisoned, I took out the mages that did that to him before rushing back here, performed the spell and that's it," Lucy had said in a rush. "Then I was stuck in this dark hole fighting off the darkness with what little magic I had left. Then, then I felt a huge rush of magic flowing over me and it chased the shadows off for a while, but they came back. This time though I had no problem beating them and then I woke up. How . . . how long was I sleeping for?"

"Five days."

"And Vander? How is he?"

"That mischievous man is back to normal," chuckled Loke who had been watching everything closely from the viewing pool. "This morning he attempted to glitter bomb Laxus which pleasantly backfired on the younger mage. Laxus ended up shocking Vander before he could sneak into his shadows for his attack and the glitter exploded all over Vander. When you see him you'll see what happened." Loke just laughed while Lucy half smiled at him. "What's wrong Lucy?"

"It's going to sound super dumb and girly, but I don't want anyone to see these marks all over me. I feel . . . ugly," Lucy said with tears in her eyes.

"What marks Princess? Your skin is as flawless as ever," Loke was confused now. There was absolutely nothing wrong with her skin, the soft porcelain looked like it did every day. He wasn't sure if this was something only she could see due to what had happened or if she was suffering from another traumatic event and this was how it was being represented in her mind.

"How can you not see these? They are covering my entire body Leo!"

"I don't see anything Lucy," the lion spirit said calmly and quietly in an attempt to keep her panic levels lower. "We can call everyone in here and see what's going on . . ."

"NO! No, no, no!" Lucy ran back to the bed, threw the covers over her entire body, and huddled into the fetal position. Lucy knew she was being vain, but now that Leo couldn't see the marks she wasn't sure she could face anyone. She needed help and there were only a handful of people she wanted to see right now, which included Laxus, Vander, Cristoff, Bickslow, and Arman. They wouldn't judge her and might even be able to make sense of what was going on with herself because she sure as hell wasn't ready for Kaleb or Cobra to pull the information out of her. Then she'd have to deal with it and right now she just couldn't.

* * *

Laxus and Cristoff were sparring in the estate large gym, that had been magically reinforced by Freed after a training session almost blew apart the entire room. Everyone had been set on edge with Lucy sleeping for so long and the way she was moaning and crying occasionally didn't help anything, especially her kin who could feel something was wrong but they'd been unable to do anything the first couple days. They all took to training at the estate, or guild, in order to release the pent-up frustration. Cristoff and Emzadi, in particular, had a really intense spar that had both of their dragon roars colliding, building up the magic pressure in the room to the point where the walls started to shake. The room had been spelled for situations like this but was unable to keep up with the higher level of magic that Arman's children had come into, but thankfully Freed had been passing by and added a layer to stop the room from collapsing. Afterward, Freed had gone in and changed the magic, adding multiple layers of protection from all types of magic, much to Arman's delight.

Now the two large male dragon slayers were trading blows with one another which had become the norm for the two. They were equal in strength, size, and power so the match was on even grounds, neither one giving. Bickslow, Vander, and Emzadi were all watching from the benches whooping and hollering for both men. Farron and Freed were helping Arman out on a small matter, Kaleb was at the guild helping Cobra find a way to not hear everyone so loudly all the time, and Xally had been called into the hospital for an emergency.

Things had been touch and go with Lucy for a bit, so Arman had called the Dean at Academe Celestine and asked for Zen to return home for a week or so due to a family emergency. The Dean had told Arman to take all the time that was needed for Zen was doing amazingly in his studies and could use a small reprieve from everything going on there. Bickslow had been watching Lucy's soul throughout everything and one night it dipped so low that he had to fight to save her, had called Kaleb while he was working on keeping Lucy on this plane, Kaleb had woken Vander to go help Bickslow and then informed Arman who had made the decision to ask to bring Zen home. Vander and Bickslow had pulled Lucy back from the brink, but just barely. When Zen had arrived home Cristoff had urged his brother to follow him and together they had healed Lucy and filled up her magic containers so she was stable.

Bickslow was sitting there cackling at some random joke that Vander had made when he felt his blood go cold, immediately calling his babies and riding them out of the training room. It wasn't long after before Laxus, Cristoff, and Vander were running out of the room as well leaving a stunned Emzadi wondering what had just happened. The four mages stumbled into Lucy's room to see her wrapped in Arman's arms crying her heart out while Loke stood off to the side, saddened by whatever was going on. Arman was rocking her back and forth like he would if she was a small child, whispering sweet Boscan words of endearment into her ear.

"Dad, what happened? How'd you know anything was wrong?" Cristoff asked as he pushed his soothing healing magic over Lucy, but not finding anything physically wrong with her.

"I don't know," Arman said shaking his head. "She was curled up in a ball under the cover when I found her and scooped her up. I haven't been here that long, but I heard her soul crying out and rushed in here."

"I felt it too," Bickslow responded while his eyes were glowing. "Her soul called out to me and I knew she needed help. Dad pull the cover away from her arm for me, please." Bickslow could see tiger stripped marks along her arms and heard Vander gasp behind as he came to stand next to his brother.

"Bickslow do you see the marks too?" The seith mage slowly nodded his head yes before starring wide-eyed at his brother.

"I haven't seen these marks since you were young Van. What do you suppose happened that they are on Cosplayer?"

"What the hell are you two going on about?" fumed Laxus from behind the two. "I don't see anything and by the looks of it neither does Cris or Arman."

"Lucy has been marked by the shadows like I was when I almost lost my control and fell to them, back when I was like eight," Vander put a hand on Lucy's arm and watched as the markings started to vanish. "Bickslow can you look into her soul some more? There must be some kind of shadow leech there because only they can create markings like this. I'm guessing it snuck its way in when her soul was flickering and buried itself within it, damn creature." Vander was using his magic to slowly erase the markings on her skin but if Bickslow couldn't pull the leech out then the markings would keep coming back. They told every dark mage out there that she was a light that needed to be exterminated because she was a risk. Light as bright as hers would definitely foil any plans the darkness would try to come up with, and she'd be a walking target yet again.

Bickslow felt bad having to go through Lucy's soul to see what memory the leech had decided to latch onto. He started with her most recent trauma at the hands of the men they'd rescued her from but when it wasn't there he began going through the large events she'd been pulled into when part of Fairy Tail. Tower of Heaven, Phantom Lord, Battle of Fairy Tail, Tenrou Island, Key of the Starry Night, Grand Magic Games, Eclipse Gate, her spirit reversal, Tartaros . . . Tartaros - it was stuck in there! He started rifling through that memory from the first time she met Jackal to the getting onto their mothership to being the only person left alive from the Alegria to her battle against Jackal and breaking Aquarius key . . . Bickslow's heart broke as he watched that memory unfold, but found the leech there sucking off the pain from that memory. He had to work hard to pull its sharp teeth from the memory before casting it into a jar and continuing on in the memory.

He found three more leeches, one for when Gramps disbanded Fairy Tail, another when Natsu left her with only a note, and lastly when she was the only one left standing at the guild doors. He knew tears were running down his cheeks now, felt everything she did and knew she'd shoved those feelings down deep inside of herself. Bickslow pulled the last leech off her soul and put it into the fourth jar then wrenched himself out of her soul, falling to the floor in utter exhaustion from gathering the leeches and handling her emotions. How the hell she was still standing after every event she'd been through was truly amazing and he'd never doubt her light again after witnessing all of that.

"Bickslow, son, are you alright?" Concern was heavily laced with Arman's calm voice, but he waived his father off. He had so many feelings that weren't his own that he needed to sort through and knew that he'd have to talk to Kaleb and Cobra about it all. Hopefully, one of them would know about her past already and could help him through it all as well.

"Van, you want to dispose of those nasty ass creatures once you're done with Cosplayer?"

"Not a problem Bix. I am just finishing up."

"How's the Princess doing?"

"She'll be a-okay once she calms down. We've gotten everything out now granted it wouldn't hurt to have Zen come to her to go over our work. His archangel magic will be able to heal whatever small bumps, bruises, or cracks are left from the shadows and leeches, plus he should probably meet the most amazing celestial mage in all of history. When he tells the Dean about Lucy then he'll have a bird," Vander laughed as he scooped up the four jar and headed into the shadows to get rid of them.

"Laxus," Lucy whimpered from her warm, safe place in Arman's arms. Laxus was over there in an instant pulling her into his large arms and purring gently when she snuggled up. "What happened to me?" Loke filled Lucy in on everything that had just occurred, telling her that she'd need to thank Vander and Bickslow when she saw them next. Loke had seen Bickslow slip out when Laxus went to his keyholder's side and knew he would need to talk with the seith mage, knew he'd have questions.

"Thank you, Loke. I'll see you later, alright?" Leo smiled at Lucy's hidden message. She knew he was worried about something else so she was giving him his out to go and deal with it. She truly was a remarkable mage and he'd spend the rest of his life serving her family.

"Hey! Sleeping Beauty is awake," laughed Vander as he reappeared from the shadows.

"I'm so happy you're alright Van," Lucy's bright smile had everyone feeling at ease knowing that she was finally starting to return to herself.

"Oh, you know it gorgeous," winked Van. "However I'm dying to know about this lovely mark on my body." He pulled his shirt open for her to see the solid golden eight-point star with a black teardrop in the middle.

"Holy shit it worked!"

"What do you mean it worked!"

"It's a spell that the Spirit King told me to use to save you but it had never been used in such a way before. I knew though, I knew it was exactly what I needed and we talked through Pegasus as I flew here."

"My dear girl, care to explain what you did exactly?"

"Celestial Twin Flame is a spell used to save a loved one from eternal darkness. I bound the light of my soul to Vander, now no matter what happens to him he'll never ever succumb to the darkness of the shadows. There will be no chance of him losing to the void demons or losing control of his powers because celestial light will forever flow through him, for as long as I'm alive that is." The four men remaining in the room just gaped at the blonde haired beauty.

"You found a way to save my son," Arman was in awe and tears were gathering in his eyes. He looked over at Vander who was also processing everything he'd just heard. For years they had tried to find a way to tether him to the goodness of this world and here this brilliant woman had done it without giving it a second thought. "You have earned a place in this family, dear Lucy. You have no idea how at ease I am knowing that Vander will be forever safe from his own magic." He kissed Lucy on the forehead before gathering Cristoff and uttering something about celebrating with spiced wine.

"You barely know me Principessa. Why would you risk your life for someone like me?" Vander was utterly shocked by the woman, yet again. First, she saves him from that poisoned dart and now she literally saves him from himself. The only people who had been willing to do that for him was his own family and few close friends, but definitely not on this grand of a scale.

"Pft," snorted Laxus. "You don't know blondie like we do Van. Lucy can see a person's true self the minute she meets them and had this innate ability to weasel her way into the hearts of others without even trying. If she knew she could do something, anything, to help then she'll throw everything she had into it. There isn't like her in all of Earthland." Lucy smiled at the blonde dragon slayer before addressing Vander.

"There may be some . . . repercussions to the magic. The king was very secretive about that and stated that we'd have to figure it out ourselves, so just be aware." Vander had a lop-sided grin on his face as he kissed Lucy on the forehead and walked out of the room to find his dad and Cristoff.

"Fuck Lucy, you've had me worried." Laxus kissed the top of her head, holding her close.

"I know you probably talk but can I nap first? I'm suddenly exhausted." Lucy knew she'd been out for five days but after dealing with all of this shit she just needed a couple hours of solid sleep before dealing with anything else. Laxus stood went to put her on the bed and walk away but stopped when she placed a hand on his bicep. "Will you stay with me, please?" Laxus could see the insecurity in her chocolate eyes and couldn't find it in himself to deny her. He walked to the other side of the bed, pulling her back against his chest, listening to her heartbeat slow and even out within minutes. Hopefully, she remembered that she'd invited him to stay with her because he really didn't want to be Lucy kicked out of the bed.

* * *

Loke found Bickslow outside practicing his moves on the uneven bars of the gymnastic equipment. He watched as Bickslow spun his body around the lower of two different heights of bars before launching himself onto the higher bar. His tall, lithe body moved like water upon the bars as he rotated around them, holding his body up vertically before falling, twisting himself so he could catch the lower bar again. Leo watched him finish his routine as he landed on the mat below, a small smile upon his lips.

"Pretty damn good at that Bix," Loke said while pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. Bickslow looked over at the spirit with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. "I know what you saw and I'm here to answer whatever questions you might have about it." Bickslow's face immediately fell but knew that this conversation would have to happen if he was going to move on. At least Loke knew everything already and why, he wouldn't have to try to piece it all together with Cobra or Kaleb.

"Why did she sacrifice her key?"

"You were all stuck in the Alegria that Mard Geer had activated. Lucy had called out three spirits while trying to battle several demons in Tartaros and she was severely outnumbered. Mard had told them that whoever killed Lucy would have the pleasure of filling the opening slot that had opened. She called Aquarius to deal with the flood she was facing and she demanded that Lucy break her key to summon the Spirit King. A celestial key has to be broken willingly by the keyholder in order to summon the king and Lucy had a hard time with that thought, but she found the courage to do so."

"What did the Spirit King do?"

"He killed Mard Geer and in doing so released everyone from his curse magic. Then the rest of the battles happened and voila we're back at the guild and gramps is disbanding Fairy Tail. That was the only home Lucy knew after leaving the konzern and with both parents dead she had nowhere to go. She was hoping that Team Natsu would head out together to figure something out but . . . Natsu left with only a note. Gray and Erza had left before Lucy could find them so she wandered into Crocus where she started writing for Sorcerer Weekly, and did a little modelling. She reached out her old team when she found them but none of them responded so she figured it was time to go training, to be the best celestial mage she could be."

"It was on that adventure that she was caught by the men in Seven?"

"They ambushed her. She had called out three spirits, but when you're facing thirty men in a forest it gets difficult and unfortunately the overpowered Lucy."

"Where was she going anyways?"

"She had caught wind that the Thunder Legion was in Bosco, so she was making her way there. She was at the border between Fiore and Bosco when it happened and was going to have me find you guys when they slapped those damn magic canceling cuffs on her." Loke ran his hand through his hair at the frustration he felt over the situation.

"Why hasn't she told anyone about Tartaros? Bottling that up isn't going to help her!"

"Who else was she supposed to tell Bix? She's been here for roughly two weeks and is still working on healing from other events. Given time I am sure that she'll open up and once she knows that you know because of how you helped her then at least there's one person she can turn too. Our Princess has faced much and even now she'd resilient to most of it."

"Has she heard from anyone from Fairy Tail? I know Laxus keeps in touch with several of them."

"Wendy, Gajeel, and Juvia. They were the only ones who kept in touch with her, even if it was just a letter here and there."

"What aren't you telling me? I can see it on your face that there's more."

"Juvia had asked Lucy to come to the small city of Pranghes in Bosco. There was something she needed Lucy's help with, but we obviously never made it there. I know Lucy sent Juvia a message while flying on Pegasus but nothing has come back."

"How do they send messages?"

"Apus, one of Lucy's spirits, carries the message to Juvia. Part of it's magic is being able to find anyone from the skies as long as Lucy tangibly knows who the person is. Apus hasn't returned yet, which I haven't told Lucy just yet. Let one mess get handled before we delve into another one."

"Speaking of messes I'd love to get my hands on those idiots who thought killing Vander was alright. I'd love nothing more than to fuck up their souls!" Bickslow wasn't generally a vindictive person, but fuck with his family and they'd be in a whole world of hurt.

"You can."

"Say what?"

"Lucy devised a plan to trap the two men who had shot the dart at Vander. They are currently in the celestial prison under the careful watch on Virgo."

"Loke . . . That is the best news I have heard all damn day! Come," he swung his arm around the spirits shoulders. "We need to tell Kaleb because he sure as fuck has a plan laid out and ready to go already. This will be cherry on his chocolate sundae!"


	15. Chapter 15

Cobra was just fucking done! He was normally a fast fucking learner but trying to deal with everyone else's souls, training, and Kaleb's instructions had him two steps away from putting himself in an insane asylum. At least he'd be fucking entertained! They'd been at this for five days now, five days since Lucy had saved shadowprick's ass, and he'd barely been able to quiet a third of the guild's souls! The teachings made sense to him but he was having a hard time putting the practicality to them and he knew it was attainable, just look at Kaleb! The fucking man could kill a thousand wizards with his mind and he couldn't even focus enough to block out fifty or so. Kaleb had suggested that he focus on one thing to help drown out the noise well fay fucking chance of that. There were only two people who could quiet his mind like that one being Cuebelios and the other was Tink, who was still fighting to wake up.

That situation wasn't helping clear his thoughts either. The twinkling sound of her soul had always put him, and his dragon, at ease and his life a hell of a lot simpler. After seeing her the handful of times when he was being a major evil douche bag from the darkest corner of Fiore he knew that she'd be bad news for him. However, when he was thrown into that cave with her Cobra had found out just how soothing her soul was. It was then that his dragon began to rant about taking her as kin, marking her as a sister in arms, a woman whom he would protect and vice versa. He had explained how he'd claim her as his and what being kin entailed but was shocked to hell when her magic had claimed him back, not that he'd ever complained. The feeling of her magic wrapping around himself had been the most incredible feeling he had ever experienced. Warmth, kindness, happiness, and love. That's what he felt with the latter one being an all-consuming one that left his lightly breathless. Now he was praying to any deity that Tink was going to pull through.

Kaleb was mostly laughing to himself as he observed Cobra's struggle from afar. Cobra's problem was that he was having a hard time meditating and focusing inwards which is why being close to Lucy made sense. She was slowly helping heal so many people just by being her light and jovial self and after the feat she had performed with Vander he was seriously hoping she'd stay in White Sea. When Cobra was remembering about making Lucy his kin and her powers washing over him in a loving embrace Kaleb could feel it. He was wondering if that was what Cristoff had felt while being bathed in her golden light because Emzadi, Xally, and Vander definitely had not felt that and she hadn't marked anyone else. However, Kaleb couldn't help the smirk on his face when Cobra's heartbeat picked up and his brain had literally shut down for a moment. The guild master rested his arms on the banister and watched Cobra with interest.

Evergreen had needed something, anything, to help with the funk she'd been in after Lucy saved Vander from the depths of his own darkness, so now she was walking into the main area of the guildhall. Everyone had gone their own ways to deal with the awfulness of the situation but Evergreen had just lounged in her room and cried for a while. She cried for her breakup with Elfman, for the guild disbanding, for Vander, and everything Lucy had to endure, even though she knew there was still something she was hiding from everyone. Evergreen sighed as she made her way around the room, stuck in her own world to notice that a purple eye was following her around, listening intently.

The fairy mage ordered an appletini while sitting at the bar by her lonesome self. She'd been in White Sea for what was it, ten months or so now, and had been shared pleasure with her fair share of men to drown her sorrows about her life at Fairy Tail. Now she just wanted to commit to one guy, build a life with them, and see where that path led but there was one minor problem. Her. Evergreen knew that she wasn't the easiest person to get along with, she was a bitch on the best of days with a sharp tongue. She was a strong independent woman, she fucking had to be after dealing with Laxus and Bickslow for over ten years and being the only female on their team. Emzadi and Xally had always treated her amazingly since she had arrived, hell all the Pradesh family members had, but then Lucy arrived and that familiarity had hit home for her.

Her biggest issue was usually her hair, nails, makeup and now she was constantly chastising herself about all of the naughty thoughts she was having about a certain maroon-haired dragon slayer. He was tall with tanned olive skin, unruly spikey hair, and dressed impeccably for a man who had been convicted more times than she could count. She'd seen him training with Kaleb yesterday afternoon and her eyes almost fell out of their sockets if it wasn't for her glasses holding them in place. He was wearing shorts which showed of his lean muscular legs and he was wearing a sleeveless shirt showing off just how toned his arms were. What had her licking her lips was when he took his shirt off to reveal his bare chest. He had a small patch of chest hair that she was dying to run her fingers in and a small trail from his navel to what she was sure was a decent sized dick. She had fled hoping that neither mage had heard her, and to top it off his snark matched her sass perfectly and Cobra could give as could as he could take, maybe one day she could find out if that was true between the sheets.

Cobra chocked on the beer that he was drinking as he heard that last thought within her soul and the yearning she felt for him made it hard to breathe. His dragon had even cocked its head as he listened to her internal musing. Cobra would have to have no fucking heartbeat to not notice how attractive she was with her light brown hair, dark brown eyes, and vibrant pink lips that he found himself wanting to nibble on. She had taken to wearing contacts occasionally but he still preferred her with her oval glasses. Evergreen had a very voluptuous figure with very large breasts where her dark green guildmark resided on the swell of her left one and wide, curvy hips, but his favorite thing had to be when she wore stockings on her sinfully long legs. What he wouldn't give to have them wrapped around his waist as he thrusted his . . . FUCK NO! He was so not going there right now, what the hell was wrong with him?

Evergreen got off her stool, deciding she'd go get some flowers for Lucy, but she'd need to go to the market first in order to find some she thought Lucy would like. She walked past the brazen slayer when her wedge seemed to catch something on the floor that had her falling forward. She internally cursed when she realized that she was going to have an impossibly large red spot on her face from where she was about to faceplant, so she squeezed her eyes shut and hoped for the best. She wasn't expecting a strong arm to catch her around the waist, stopping her mid-fall. Evergreen righted herself while holding the callused hand of her rescuer, so she dusted her emerald green dress off and stood straight to thank the man who stopped her from landing on her face. The cocky smirk and piercing purple eye wasn't exactly who she had in mind for her rescuer but she wasn't about to complain.

"Thank Cobra," Evergreen leaned in a kissed his cheek before taking off. Whatever had possessed her to do such a thing she'd never know but the giddiness she felt after doing it would last her through the next couple days. She couldn't wait for some girl time with Lucy to gush about this as she patted her cheeks hoping the redness would fade soon. Cobra, on the other hand, was dealing with a whole other shitstorm. His damned dragon was purring in delight when she had kissed him, flapping its wings and puffing out its chest as his tail slammed into the ground.  _Mate. Dominate, claim, mark her as ours forever._

Kaleb walked back to his office chuckling. He couldn't wait to tell his dad and Bickslow about this new development, he just hoped this dragon slayer wasn't going to be as damn stubborn as Laxus was to claiming and accepting his mate.

* * *

Bickslow had gone to check up on Lucy only to find her curled up around Laxus' large frame. He pulled out his com to take pictures, future blackmail to add to Evergreen's collection, and quietly exited the room. Knowing that she was in more than capable hands of his boss he headed out to find Vander, see what that sneaky shit was up to. Laxus had been crushing on Lucy for years, now that she was his mate Laxus just needed to come to terms with his past, and who better to do that then the eternal optimist that Lucy was. He just needed to be pushed . . . from behind . . . by a crane . . . off a cliff in order to make the leap that would lead him to where he was meant to go.

Dragon slayers and god slayers all had mates out there waiting to be found, but there were several other classes of magic that also happened to have mates as well. Seith, shadowquip, celestial, archangel, and beast mages were also destined to find their soul mates out there and he could see soul mingling once they'd found their other halves. Only thing was that he couldn't see his own soul connecting with another, but that was ok. For now, he'd be happy with his families happiness knowing full well that his was out there as well.

"Hey Bix"

"Zen! Hey man, what are you still doing here? Thought you'd be back at the academy already?" The seith mage hugged the archangel mage before slinging an arm around his shoulders. "What can I do for you today?"

"Well actually . . . I think I've found one of Lucy's spirits in Mom's pear tree out back. Was hoping you might have an idea which one it was and why it's here." Zen had come back from his run to find this large bird perched there just staring at him non-blinkingly.

"I highly doubt I'll be much help. Maybe we should just wake the princess and her dragon? Maybe Van would help so I don't fried this time." The two large men laughed as they went back to Lucy's room where Vander was already waiting with another glitter bomb in hand. Lucy wasn't in the bed so Bickslow surmised that she must be the one in the shower since the water was running, and after sleeping for five days he'd want to be clean as well. The water shut off as Vander crept closer to Laxus, Bickslow nudged Zen's side as they watched the blonde come out in a wrapped towel glaring at the black and red-streaked hair mage. Lucy touched her keys on the side table before looking back at Vander who was falling into a hole in the floor that was already closing. Within minutes Virgo had returned him in magic canceling cuffs and covered in bright pink glitter from head to toe. The brothers couldn't contain their laughter, as Lucy hid her giggles behind her hand, the sounds woke Laxus up from a dead sleep. His frown was obvious until he saw Vander covered in shimmering pink foil.

"What happened cream puff? Someone beat you at your own game?"

"The kinky chained maid sucked me into the ground and my glitter bomb exploded," Vander whined before his narrowed eyes looked at the celestial mage. "This is all your fault, I almost had him this time!"

"Cosplayer doesn't take too kindly to pranks and if you EVER happen to get her caught up in your stupid ploys . . . well, you've been warned." Laxus stated as Bickslow nodded his head vigorously in agreement.

"Stop complaining Van or I won't have Virgo take the cuffs off. What can I do for you Bickslow and umm . . ."

"Zen. I'm the second eldest Pradesh sibling and it's a pleasure to meet you, Lucy." He kissed the back of her hand as she smiled at him.

"He's Farron's actual blood brother from mom and dad, plus he's an archangel mage to boot. Dad called him back from the Academe Celestine when you soul started to struggle." Bickslow briefly explained.

"Thank you." Lucy hugged the tall, broad, mahogany-haired man. "You were the one that poured all that light into me then?"

"Cristoff healed what he could and I added my light to his healing. How did you know it was me?"

"You're magic signature has the same calming effect as it did when I felt it in the darkness. Bix wasn't wrong when he said my soul was struggling. I was being attacked hardcore and had some pretty nasty things attached to me, I could feel them." Lucy looked over at the seith mage. "You and I have some things to discuss, soon." The sad look in her eyes had him feeling guilty about the intrusion to her innermost thoughts and feelings, but she placed her hand on his forearm, smiling up at him before hugging him as well. "What brings you two to my room anyway?"

"I'm heading into the shower and will meet you shortly," Laxus said as he walked to the bathroom just waived her hand behind her head to acknowledge his statement.

"I found a white bird in our mother's pear tree out back and since it's a celestial spirit I figure that it must be yours." Zen watched as her eyes got wide in understanding. "It's been there all morning from my guess."

"Apus!" Lucy ran between the two men and booked it to the where she would be at. She could hear the heavy footsteps of Bickslow and Zen behind her but didn't slow down until she saw her perched in the tree. Apus was a beautiful white crane with bright blue eyes whose tail feathers were five feet long and sparkled silver with celestial magic. Lucy had bought her silver key at a magic store at Akane beach when she was on her way to Bosco, she'd paid five thousand jewels for the dusty key that was sitting in the side window of the store. Apus could find anyone that her keyholder knew with her eyesight while flying, but she also had the ability to transport Lucy to the last person Lucy had received a message from.

 _Princess Lucy. I am so very glad to have found you in Bosco! I'm hoping you'll call me out so I may enjoy the waters of the Grass Sea and prim my feathers._  "Of course I will Apus! I'm assuming you have a message for me?"  _Yes, Princess. The water mage asked me to tell you that there was a slight . . . complication with her mission and that she was requesting your presence to help her as soon as you're able to go._ "Am I able to take anyone with me Apus?"  _I can take one other with us on our travels because I will only be able to bring back a max of six others and the miss made it sound as if there'll be more mages coming back with us._  "That's fine. Do you need to head back and rest at all? Did she indicate anything else about what kind of help was needed?"  _She said that she'd need a healer and fighter for the mission and that you'd know all about the mission if I mentioned a name._ "Who's name?"  _May I return for an hour of your time Princess? And the name was_ _Bora._ Lucy clenched her fists at her sides as she glared at her bare feet in instant recognition of that name. "Return Apus and I shall call you out in one hour my time." The spirit bowed its feathered head before disappearing in a soft white light.

"Cosplayer . . . you alright?"

"Perfect Bix! I know Loke told you about the two men that were captured, but there was also this," Lucy called Leo out and asked him to hand the L-tablet to Bickslow. "One of the men that are prisoned in the celestial world dropped and I figured you guys could use it to figure out hurt Van. Loke, why don't you come out on your own magic and help Bix and Kaleb with the interrogation?"

"Anything for you Princess. Let's go see how busy the master is for this, shall we?" The two men walked away laughing and catching up with talks of their latest sexual encounters.

"Virgo," Lucy summoned the maiden and promptly instructed her, "Release Van if you haven't already then go and pack two bags. Once you're done that you'll need to inform Farron and Cristoff about what's happening, please." "Of course Princess."

"How are your healing and fighting skills?" Lucy rounded on the archangel mage with an inquisitive look in her eyes.

"My fighting skills are unmatched and my healing is somewhere between Cristoff and Xally. Why?"

"How do you feel about an impromptu trip to Pranghes?"

"Not until you tell me what's going on." Zen was firm in that regard. He could tell that whatever Apus had told Lucy had rattled her more than she was letting on.

"I have a friend, Juvia, who was working a solo job in the city when she ran across some disturbing news. She's been working with local Rune Knights to handle the situation, but unfortunately, she can't finish it by herself. Juvia has been patiently waiting to take down a small female slave trade happening in the city and the culprit behind it all is the escaped mage, Bora. I first encountered him right before I met Natsu and became a Fairy Tail mage. He tried to charm me into falling in love with him, but the spell broke, however, that didn't stop him from lying to me to get me on board his hip with about fifty other woman he was planning on shipping to Mavis knows where." Lucy rubbed her temples in frustration, "He escaped prison somehow and has been on the most wanted list for roughly a year."

"Oh you know I'm in now! What's you're plan?"

"Apus will take us to where Juvia is and once there we'll figure out how we want to do this. Rune Knights are following her orders for this mission, but knowing that you'll be there, the son of the Ambassador will make things go smoothly. Until Apus is ready why don't you tell me about your magic, since I'm sure you know all about mine after studying at the Academe Celestine."

"I'm the only Archangel in existence and had a shitty upbringing since I was stolen from my home when I was young, which we will delve into another time," Zen offered when he saw Lucy about to ask. He also raised an eyebrow when he saw her brush keys but said nothing more. "I promise. I use a form of heavenly body magic as well as have black wings that are as hard as steel, which comes in handy during a fight. I've been studying about my magic and celestial magic as well for the past year and will finish up my studies in two months time."

"You're compelled to celestial mages, aren't you?" Lucy saw the shocked look in his eyes at her question. "The way your mouth tightened when you said 'celestial mage' was a dead giveaway, plus I know a small bit about your magic. So do you feel anything around my magic?"

"No, which has me confused. Every other celestial mage I've met I have been drawn too, even though I stop myself from doing so. The Dean is the only person I don't feel like I'm losing control of my magic."

"It's based on intent."

"I don't understand Lucy."

"A celestial mage's power is based heavenly on several things. The size of our magic containers, the bonds we share with our spirits, our own personal beliefs, and our intent in everything we decide to do. I know you have a tragic past Zen, I can see it in yours eyes that you have endured more than anyone else I've ever known. Most celestial mages know that to claim an Archangel mage would be a huge power boost and that the two would be chained together for all of eternity if they mated, which strips the Archangel of the majority of their choices in life. With that being said my intentions towards are you are to be your friend, maybe family, but I have there's no way I will ever trap you in something that you do not want, Zen. I promise you this." Zen felt the power of her words flow through his being, cementing her word to him.

 _Princess, I am ready to head out._  Apus appeared before the two mages in a soft glow and some white sparks. "Are you ready to do this, Zen?" Lucy asked extending her hand out to him, giving him the option to come or not. She smiled brightly when he placed his large hand in her small one and nodded his head with a grin on his face. "Alright Apus, take us to Juvia please." Apus unfolded her large wings from her sides and wrapped them around the two mages as a magic circle appeared beneath their feet before they were gone.

* * *

Bickslow and Loke were sitting in Kaleb's office explaining everything about what had happened that night and what Lucy had done to capture the two men, while Kaleb looked over the slightly damaged L-tablet. This was the break that he had been hoping for in order to find Vander's assailants and bring them to justice in front of the entire White Sea guild. He'd be thanking Lucy profusely when he saw her next and hopefully, she'd be part of the attack of whatever dark guild was behind all of this. He'd sent a warning to all the mages in his guild and to all family members when Cobra had examined the dart that Cristoff had picked up when he brought Vander home.

Xally had been the next target but thankfully had been testing her water with a special litmus test she'd concocted and had avoided being hurt. That was the second attack on his family, so Kaleb was going to bring the roof down on this dark guild. Loke had just left to get the two mages that had been captured thanks to Lucy's quick thinking. He'd called Cobra into this office and between his mindbending, Cobra's soul reading, and Bickslow's soul magic these two goons didn't stand a chance. Everything would be checked, no thought, memory, or soul imprint would be left uncovered by the time they were done. Kaleb was more than ready to find out who the fuck was behind all of this.

"Here you three go." Loke threw the two men to the floor, both in magic canceling handcuffs. "I'm just going to sit here and watch until you're ready for me to take them back to the celestial prison."

"What's the plan bro?"

"We are going to pull every memory they have until we find out who is orchestrating this. Loke will then take them back to the prison until we can devise a plan to take down the dark guild. At that point in time I will erase all memories of them being captured by us and place another memory in their place, maybe Rune Knights capturing them and then having them escape. We'll track them back to the base and attack them."

"I like where this plan is going already. Count me in on that action!"

"I'll count you in if you join the guild," Kaleb smirked at the glaring dragon slayer as Bickslow cackled in the background.

"We'll settle that once we're done here." Cobra started going through their souls, as Bickslow held them in place with his figure eyes. Kaleb was doubling his efforts as he sifted through their minds. Neither mage had anything dark in their pasts that would make them evil, but both were easily swayed by a dream of being on top and it didn't matter if it was a dark or light guild. The guild master had brought order to their area and was a firm believer of letting them grow at their own pace while collecting dark magical artifacts. Kaleb finally got to see who the master was and recoiled at the image of the person he saw.

"Hestor!" Kaleb spat the name as he glared at the two men.

"Who's that?" Cobra questioned as he looked between the two brothers.

"He's a celestial mage that tried to manipulate me by using Zen's magic against him." Kaleb rubbed a hand down his face at the memory. "Hestor had seduced Zen with his magic, threatening to bind Zen to himself, in order to get me to relinquish the title of Master to him. Hestor owns several of the Black keys of Ammit and is powerful in his own right, but how he was able to block me out I still don't understand. He slipped up in his plan though and trusted the wrong person, who let slip what was happening and we were able to stop everything, but he got away before we could imprison for before a trial was held. He plastered his name at every guild and informed his parents about what had happened, who shunned him after that."

"Who did he trust that turned on him?"

"Presca. The energy mage had worked with Vander on the Steel Council for years but decided that he just wanted the quieter life as a mage, same with Vander. Hestor made friends with him but always kept him in the dark, until the night of the supposed bonding. When Presca found out he reached out to my mental link and we quickly created a plan of attack. Loke would you return these two, please?" The lion spirit grabbed their collars and hauled them through his gate.

"Any idea how we're going to take down a dark guild in Caelum of roughly five hundred mages?" Bickslow asked even though he was pretty damn sure that Kaleb had created three different courses of action.

"First I talk to Dad and Farron. Then we gather the family for a meeting before addressing White Sea." The three men grinned at one another, content with what had been discovered and how they were going to go about it.

"Well Fuck," Cobra said as he walked out of the office.

"Cobra?" the brothers followed, curious as to what was going on.

"Cris. Laxus. What's going on? Why are you so riled up?" Kaleb as the two dragon slayers.

"Virgo handed Laxus this note about five minutes ago," he handed it Kaleb who read it out loud. "Dear Laxus, Thunder Legion, and the Pradesh family. I was contacted by an old friend who is in need of some help with her mission. Due to the nature of the mission, I cannot go into details but know that Zen has come with me to sort it out. Should be back by midday tomorrow and we may need Cristoff and Xally's help if all goes accordingly. See you soon, Lucy."

"Dammit Cosplayer," Bickslow cursed as he looked at a fuming Laxus knowing he hadn't been able to tell Lucy about the whole mate thing yet. Hopefully, she wouldn't be this reckless or careless once she found out, right? Cobra snorted.

"Tink's heart is too big for that shit Bix. If she believes in it strongly enough then nothing will stop her. Why don't we talk about where I'm placing my guildmark . . . I'm thinking that I want it on my left shoulder blade and in a color that matches my hair." Cobra knew that it was a small distraction for now but hopefully it was enough. "Bix catch this two up on the other plan."

"Oh right!" Bickslow caught what Cobra was putting down. "So who wants to know who's after the family and why?"


	16. Chapter 16

This was going to be an issue in their future relationship if she didn't stop leaving him in the dust to help others. Granted he had yet to tell her that they were mates but still! Lucy could be the tactician when she wanted to be but tended to think with her heart first and then her head, which was a reason he had always been drawn to her. Now he needed her to stay in one place long enough so that he could tell her about their situation and see if she'd accept or not. That made Laxus nervous, the fact that she could say no to him and he'd be mateless for the rest of his long life. He sighed, knowing that there was no way around it until he actually asked her.

Lucy hadn't been in Bosco for very long but she had already entangled herself into the Pradesh family to the point where he wasn't sure what either would do if something happened to her. He had been in the guild this morning for some food after his workout and heard the buzz in the mages gathered there. They were all whispering about a blonde hair woman that had managed to save Vander in some amazing feat of power. Laxus snorted at some of the rumors going around but one this was certain, every single person wanted to meet the celestial mage.

"Why so serious Boss?" Bickslow plopped himself down on a seat beside him with his own plate of food. "This isn't about Cosplayer, is it?"

"Of course it is Bix. Who else would Laxus be moping over," Evergreen stated sitting across from Bickslow while Freed sat across from Laxus.

"Evergreen be nice. I'm sure Laxus is just worried about what troubles Miss Lucy will encounter on this impromptu mission of hers," Freed answered hoping to placate everyone here and not cause a disruption this early in the morning. "If her mission was of great importance I am confident that she would have requested more help."

"I'm curious which friend it was that reached out to her. She makes friends so easily that the list would be endless, and I don't mean just from Fairy Tail either." Evergreen pushed her glasses up before taking a bite out of her omelet and continuing. "I think that it was either Erza or Levy that reached out to her. Maybe even Cana."

"I think it was Natsu. He is constantly getting into awkward situations where Lucy needs to get him out of," Freed happily took a bite of his pancake, glad his team of four were together for the first time in a while.

"Definitely not the pyro," Bickslow tried to say as calmly as possible. No need to alert to anyone that he was the only one who knew what she was keeping bottled up. "I'm thinking it was probably the stripper. He was just as bad as Natsu when it came to destroying shit and Lucy having his back, the only difference was that he actually used his brain occasionally." The small group of friends laughed at Bickslow's small jab at Gray. "Who do you think it is Boss?"

"I was thinking it might be the squirt."

"Wendy huh? Well, I suppose that would make sense, but I would have thought she'd ask Erza first. The two always seemed close." Evergreen waived her fork in the air as she was talking, "But then again Lucy was the more . . . level-headed in her team of idiots."

"We shall find out before tomorrow afternoon if Miss Lucy keeps to her timeline in the note. Until then why don't we take a small job to occupy the time? There was a mission on the board that the four of us have been selected to look into about an hour outside of the city. We'll be able to get out, stretch, and use our magic since it's been a while."

"Freed put is down for the mission, then we'll go pack an overnight bag, just in case, and we'll meet back here in an hour and set out." Laxus knew that Freed was trying to distract him and was thankful for that, but no matter what a small part of him would always be focused on Blondie.

* * *

Zen had never traveled by gate magic before, but he preferred it to moon and solar jumping that was for damn sure, or maybe it was just the fact that Lucy wasn't a huge ass about it. There were numerous times where Cristoff and Emazdi had 'accidentally' had a rough landing that put him on his ass more than once. They had mastered their magic jumping capabilities by the time they were ten, according to Kaleb, so he knew for sure they were just messing with him. Traveling by gate was amazing, to say the least. He was filled with warmth as he bathed in the power that was Lucy and Apus, filled with so much hope, love, and light. Zen was certain that he'd never felt anything so amazing in all of his life. He felt lighter, happier like things were going to be amazing from here on out and the hope that filled him with things to come was surreal. He'd have to ask Lucy about all of this when they were done, he wanted to know if this was her magic or just Lucy herself.

When they landed in Pranghes he wasn't sure what to expect but being locked in a bubble of water not one of them. On instinct, his wings sprung out to cut himself out of the water but became alarmed when the bubble just expanded to accommodate the size of his wings. He wasn't drowning either so this was either a very powerful spell or an equally amazing mage. He started to feel sleepy and was fighting against it with everything that he had, trying to retain his mental faculties so that he could fight the enemy and protect Lucy. LUCY! His head whipped around looking for blonde hair, hoping she'd escaped this onslaught as well. His eyes widened as she stood on the ground yelling at someone with blue hair before he was promptly let go and set back on the ground. Lucy ran to the blunette, as Zen was getting to requip his swords in case she needed back up but was stunned when she wrapped her arms around the woman. Did Lucy hug her enemies frequently?

"Juvia is so sorry for hurting Lucy and her friend!" Lucy held the woman as tears gathered in her eyes. "Juvia is happy to see Lucy here. Juvia has some troubling news that Juvia would like to share with Lucy and . . . "

"Sorry, Juvia! This is my friend Zen. He's an archangel mage from the White Sea guild in Bosco where I have been staying recently and has agreed to help us on this mission."

"Juvia is sorry for attacking Zen. Juvia thought that Zen had attacked Lucy while Lucy was being transported by Apus. Zen has Juvia's deepest apologies." Juvia dipped her head, slightly ashamed for hurting the handsome man.

"No harm no foul, Juvia. That was some pretty powerful water magic you have there, what guild do you belong too?"

"Juvia has no guild. Juvia has been working for Princess Hisui and the Rune Knights since Fairy Tail disbanded. Gajeel was nice enough to invite Juvia on Gajeel's travels with Levy and Juvia has since been working in Bosco and Fiore to stop this slave trade. Juvia will explain everything once we're all back at the base, so please follow Juvia." The three mages made their way through the winding streets of the small city of Pranghes where children were running through the streets chasing after one another and neighbours were happily chatting amongst one another.

The walked through a small farmer's market where Juvia bought some food and spices for their lunch once they reached the compound. Lucy stocked up on some candy for her spirits, each having their own specific flavour and kind they preferred. The two women idly chatted about nothing as they were conscious about their surroundings, that's when Zen felt it. Eyes, several pairs were watching the two women as they laughed, seemingly unknowingly, in the marketplace. Zen knew better as he watched the girls shoulders tighten and the laughs were a little more fake and forced as Juvia led them out and into a random house. Juvia pushed her magic into a lacrima in the wall before walking through with him and Lucy following behind her.

The basement was filled with at least twenty Rune Knights from both countries all milling about in different duties. Most were gathered around a large table with maps of the city and building blueprints scattered everywhere. There were even pictures of women on the board behind them with a different heading, which Zen came to realize were the names of the places the women had been abducted from either Bosco or Fiore. Fifteen pictures were currently up on the wall with what looked like another ten potential victims that they were waiting to get confirmation on. They needed five more women to make a minimum shipment of slaves to either Seven, Pergrande, or Joya. In Seven the women were slaves to the upper class who could pay for them, in Pergrande they'd only be bought if they thought they'd produce strong males since women's were worth less than cattle in that country, and in Joya they'd be going to the Amazonian warriors to see who would be worth training to keep amongst their ranks and the others were either put to death or would become labourers in the house or field. None of the scenarios were great, but they always prayed to go to Joya where their chances were the greatest.

"Fill us in on what's going on, please Juvia." Lucy made her way around the head of the table with Juvia, as the Rune Knights placed some plans in front of the two women, with Zen standing to the right of Lucy.

"Yesterday we found where they are storing the women," a deep voice of a Rune Knight stated as he pointed to the map. "They are being housed in an underground bunker that is heavily fortified by magic and roughly fifteen mages as guards. We sent a small troop in, dressed as civilians, to test them with the council's new magic identifier prototype. They are all gun mages of varying degrees, but none seem to be as talented as the two that were in Fairy Tail. Alzack, Bisca, and Asuka are safe in the capital," the knight said when he had seen the worry cross the blonde's face. "They are running a magic shop that specializes in guns, as well as teaching emerging artillery mages."

"How do you know all of this?" Lucy raised an eyebrow as she skeptically looked at the knight.

"Alzack is my cousin and Bisca wanted to me to give you this when I saw you next. I didn't get into the specifics of my mission just that you had been requested," he handed her the note as Lucy tucked it away in the pocket of her shorts to read later, then motioned for the knight to continue. "We have been monitoring Bora for months and have been counting the women he has been grabbing and our count is at twenty-five, with the last five to be arriving tonight. This is when we plan to strike. They will be heavily guarded with incoming women but we should be able to get inside at this time to take them down from the inside, however, we don't know how many enemies will be inside."

"Captain Tek!" a lesser knight saluted the captain before continuing, "We have an issue, sir. The shipment of women has come in early and there are another twenty-five women with them and twice as many guards." Tek took his helmet off and slammed it into the table in annoyance and frustration. His shoulder length black hair seemed to shine against his pale white skin, but his emerald eyes were filled with concern and anger. "Sir, we were able to get pictures and are waiting on them to finish printing from the lacrima. I will bring them to you the moment they are complete." He saluted again and walked away leaving the four of them to their own thoughts.

"Juvia doesn't know what to do Lucy."

"Think it's time for some reinforcements?" Zen smirked knowing exactly who he wanted to bring on this mission.

"Already ahead of you," Lucy grinned back. "I sent Virgo to speak with your father and brother before we left, so I am sure they are working on something for us. I also may have asked her to tap a couple of your family members shoulder's for help."

"Who did you ask for?"

"The Thunder Legion, Cristoff, Emzadi, and Vander. Plus there were a couple others I've heard your sibling chatting about that Virgo will be asking Kaleb about." Lucy figured that this plan wouldn't go as smoothly as she wanted it too and already had a backup plan in place. She knew that Bora wouldn't do just the minimum, after all, he had fifty women on the ship when she was captured by him years ago and figured he'd keep to what he was comfortable with. Plus he was greedy and the money he'd make by adding twenty more women to the group was something he wouldn't let up on. "They should all be arriving within the hour along with an additional blessing from the King of Bosco for this mission. We will still head out once they reach the underground bunker since it'll time to transport twenty-five women from the dock, but we'll want to tweak your original plan a bit. Juvia?"

"Juvia agrees with Lucy. Juvia and Lucy will pose as women that have been captured. Juvia has several fake magic canceling cuff that Gajeel crafted to break the moment magic is pushed into them. Juvia and Lucy will use those to get inside, but what's the plan from there?"

"Lucy's spirits will come in handy here. We'll easily be able to take out the guards posted outside the complex and we'll use Emzadi's heat to melt a hole in the side of the bunker giving all of us access to get in and out. The spirits will be able to safely keep the women safe where we'll have a couple of guild members to protect them until everyone is captured or dead."

"Sorry to interrupt, sir!" the knight from earlier appeared with a vanilla envelope. "I have the developed pictures for you." He handed it to Captain Tek who hastily opened it and started pulling out the twenty-five pictures of the additional women that had been captured. He was spreading them across the table when Lucy's gasp stopped what he was doing. Lucy's shaking hand picked up a picture as her eyes instantly filled with angry tears. She despised Bora, but now, now she hated him with the passion of the burning sun. 

The intensity of Lucy's emotions could be seen as well as felt to all of those in the room as her aura suddenly turned darker. Gone was the happy and smiling mage that most of them knew and in her place was the angry tactician that had put several people through walls with her legendary Lucy Kick. As Lucy stared long and hard at the picture, letting angry tears fall, she shook with rage. She wasn't sure if Bora had planned this in hopes of getting her too or if he was just lucky with the mage he had caught, but either way, he had her undivided attention now. Lucy slammed the picture on the table and stormed out of there to go meditate and calm herself so she had a level head to go into the fight. 

Zen watched Lucy storm out of there and was utterly confused by her reaction to the picture. He was assuming she must know who the bluenette in the picture was, but to have that strong of a reaction to her she must be someone of importance to the blonde. Zen watched Juvia pick up the pick and hold it close to her heart as tears also fell from her eyes. He was beginning to think that this woman was either an old guildmate or someone they had met while on a past mission, either way, this slave ring would be demolished. Zen just wasn't sure if there'd be any action for him between the idea of Juvia flooding the compound and Lucy using her spirits to exact her revenge. Juvia put the picture down and caressed the face on the person she knew involved in this mess.

"Juvia is sorry Wendy."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	17. Chapter 17

Lucy had found a quiet spot in the park, sat on the soft lush green grass while tucking her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She cried. She let the tears slip down her cheeks as she thought of all those poor women who had been captured, all their pictures flashing through her mind, the one of Wendy sticking out that was like a huge punch to her stomach. Her heart was instantly bleeding and calling out to the girl she thought of as a younger sister, trying to wrap her head around how someone as kind and loving as Wendy had been amongst them. Where was Carla? The exceed was never far from her young charge, but then again a lot could change in the nine or so months she had been gone. Look at what had happened to her.

Her rage over the situation had gotten the best of her and now all she could feel was the pain the women were going through. Lucy's experience may have differed slightly but at the end of the day, there were too many similarities. However, now she could help those women and put a permanent end to Bora's slave trade ring that he'd been conducting. Rationally she knew that she needed to pull herself together and focus on that thought, but the tears kept coming and the heart-wrenching sobs continued to escape her. Her frustration at the situation at hand, her own capture and rescue, Aquarius' key, Fairy Tail disbanding, Natsu leaving her, Laxus' mixed signs, a potential new life at White Sea - it was all so overwhelming and she'd been bottling it up for so long.

This cry was long overdue. The tumultuous feelings that were swirling inside of Lucy were all coming out at once and she needed to weather it, needed to let go so that she could move forward with life. Crying had always been a good way to start healing for Lucy and once she was past this stage she would be able to focus and deal with all of her internal struggles one by one. The tears started to slow as Lucy straightened herself from her hunched position, resting against the rough bark of the tree behind her. Lucy had some time before Virgo would be back with her answer from Kaleb and was hoping that Thane would be able to bring them all here with his powers of teleportation. He was one of the mages that Virgo was inquiring about along with Presca and Beck, both of which would come in handy for this mission.

"Lucy?" a feminine voice broke through her thoughts as chocolate eyes met deep blue ones. "Juvia has been looking for Lucy everywhere. Is Lucy alright now?"

"I am, thanks Juvia."

"Juvia knows how much Wendy means to Lucy and Juvia is more determined to make this mission a success!" The water mage sat beside Lucy, also leaning against the tree, and grasped one of her friend's hands in her own. "Does Lucy remember Juvia's last promise to Lucy?"

"You were going to tell me what happened to you and Gray after the last time we met in person. You don't have to tell me if you aren't comfortable."

"Juvia needs to tell someone and Juvia knows that Lucy will not judge Juvia, or Gray, over what was happened." Juvia had been trying to rationalize everything that had happened but wasn't getting anywhere fast with trying to work it out herself. She had come to terms over the fact that Gray would never return her love and there was someone else out there for her, but the sting left behind could still be felt.

"Whenever you're ready Juvia. I'll be here for you no matter what you tell me, I promise!" Lucy couldn't provide much comfort for the water mage but she would do anything for one of her friends, one of the few family members she still talked with and cherished more than ever. Maybe Lucy would finally tell someone about Aquarius and maybe Juvia was that person.

"Juvia went with Gray after Tartaros was defeated. Gray had been battling his revived father, Silver, thanks to the necromancer demons power. Juvia fought with him and eventually won, which enabled Gray to reach his father on a different level and reconnect even if it was only for a few fleeting moments. Gray received new powers in Silver's final moments and Gray is now the only mage, that Juvia knows about, that has demon slaying abilities. Juvia followed Gray back to his hometown where Gray worked through his issues and Juvia helped where she could, which was mostly listening and sex. Juvia knew that Gray was just using Juvia but finally had a small chance to show Gray that Juvia could be his. Juvia was very wrong and Gray and Juvia had a nasty argument, with Gray saying several hurtful things to Juvia. Juvia left in the middle of the night, leaving Gray a note on the table, and contacted Gajeel who set Juvia up with the Rune Knights and this mission."

"What else is there Juvia?" Lucy pushed a little bit knowing that there was something that the mage wasn't telling her, something that was eating her up inside.

"Juvia was pregnant with Gray's child but lost it shortly after Juvia left him. Juvia has had a hard time accepting that." Juvia let her own tears fall as she felt Lucy pulling her into her embrace, holding her tight. "Juvia knows Gray wasn't ready to be a father, especially not to her child, but Juvia was excited to be a mother. Now Juvia might never find a man or have a family. Juvia is so scared and worried, Lucy." Lucy rocked the water mage back and forth letting Juvia cry and let it all out, knowing how relieving it could be since she had finished her own session not long ago.

"I know that this is tough Juvia, but there could have been a number of reasons why you lost the baby. It could have been stress, it could have been your body, or it could have been the egg itself. There are too many scenarios for us to try to figure it out, but I am confident that everything happens for a reason even if we can't see that reason now. You will find a totally amazing man who will love you for all you're worth and will give you the world if you wanted it, of that I am sure!" Lucy said that with so much enthusiasm that Juvia's tears dried up and a small smile returned to her face. "Gray was never the man for you Juvia. I know it still hurts and I know that you can see that now, so we'll help each other heal and move forward from here on out, together."

"Together?"

"Yes!" Lucy left no room for argument, no room for doubts to cloud the bluenette's thoughts. "I am planning on joining the White Sea guild and I am hoping that you'll consider coming back to Pelerno with me. The Thunder Legion is there and I think that you'd absolutely love the water of the Grass Sea. Oh, and Cobra is also there and will be joining too. We can start over with a new guild, one that has been around for 400 years with several thousand members. A place to call home again."

"Juvia would like that very much, Lucy. Are you sure that the master will allow Juvia to join?"

"He better or he'll be dealing with a Lucy Kick to his balls!" The two women broke down laughing, the tense atmosphere disappearing around the two cheery women.

"Sorry to disturb you, Princess," Virgo bowed as she addressed the ladies. "Master Kaleb has agreed to your summons of the mages for this mission and will be here with them shortly since they are waiting for the Thunder Legion to return from a quick mission. The lunar slayer will be joining us later though as he had a minor matter to take care of at a clinic Miss Xally was working at today."

"Thank you Virgo. When you return make sure everyone knows of the plan, please. I want everyone ready to go at a moments notice and those of you who can open your own gates will be needed for this mission."

"Of course Princess." Virgo left in a puff of white smoke to relay her keyholder's words to the rest of her spirits.

"Should we head back to the base? Get everyone situated for this rescue and wait for the cavalry to get here?"

"Juvia agrees with Lucy. Perhaps Juvia and Lucy could also get something to eat when we get back?" Her stomach protested at not being fed in a while followed by Lucy's much louder stomach growling its hunger at her. The girls giggled as they walked arm in arm back to the hideout, both feeling better than they had in a long time.

* * *

Kaleb had been sitting at the desk in his office trying to get some much-needed paperwork done. Thane had done a great job while he had been swamped with everything else going on in his life. He was glad that Cobra had decided to join the guild, a poison slayer among their ranks would prove invaluable going forward and Vander was already looking forward to going on a mission with him and Presca. The three of them would be the most deadly team in his guild, now if only he could convince Lucy to join as well. Their impromptu spar, after she had woken up from her rescue, had Kaleb wondering about all of her capabilities as a celestial mage and how she would fit into the guild if she so chooses so. Someone of her caliber would be heavily sought after, especially once they found out about how many zodiac keys she possessed.

"Hello Master Kaleb," a pink-haired woman dressed as a maid with chains around her wrists was suddenly standing in Kaleb's office. "I am Virgo, one of Miss Heartfilia's spirits."

"Of course. What can I help you with today Virgo?"

"Princess has asked me to come to you to ask for with help on the mission she on with Master Zen."

"Has something gone wrong?"

"No Master Kaleb. The slave trader that Princess's friend was after had a shipment of thirty women scheduled to depart tomorrow afternoon and we were waiting for the last five women to be brought by boat. None of us were expecting there to be another twenty-five women come off that ship for a total of fifty. The number of women and mage guards are more than was expected and Princess is hoping that you will help out along with several other mages."

"Who is she all requesting?"

"The Thunder Legion, Cristoff, Emzadi, Vander, Presca, Beck, Thane, and yourself." Lucy was smart, he'd give her credit for that. Kaleb himself would have chosen a very similar team for such a high risk, stealth mission such as this and now he wanted her to join his guild more than ever. Beautiful beyond words, able to clock his mindbending abilities to a degree, and a tactician - if Laxus wasn't her mate he'd definitely be taking a shot at her.

"The Thunder Legion should be back soon judging by Freed's call several moments ago. Their mission was much easier to accomplish than originally anticipated, but Cristoff is out helping Xally with some patients at a clinic today. I will let him know the plan and the coordinates so that he may join us when he is free. I'll have to talk to Farron and Freed about drawing up some paperwork so that . . ."

"Already done Master Kaleb. Princess had me look into that shortly after she left for the mission and I have already informed them of the influx of women. They are going to be bringing a Boscan airship to a location Princess has picked out where they can help all the women." Well fuck, Lucy really had this all planned out to a T, so much so that he was just adding back up to an already well thought out plan, he hoped.

"I'm assuming that Lucy has a plan to take down the man behind this and rescue the girls?" The looking Virgo's eyes told him everything he needed to know. "I will relay the message to everyone else and we'll head out as soon as we are ready to go. Is there anything Virgo?"

"No Master Kaleb. I'll be heading back to my Princess and will see you during the mission." Virgo headed back and Kaleb slumped in his chair while trying to understand how a slave ring had gone unnoticed by his guild for so long. Pranghes was a smaller city along the south-east coast, which had ample trade with Stella, Joya, and Minstrel but to find out that they were selling slaves made him sick. His father, and his guild, had worked their asses off to ensure that Bosco was slave trade free and now some no talent mage decided to corrupt their society, well this person would have another thing coming when he got a hold of his mind. Kaleb starting relaying the messages to everyone Lucy had asked for, all of which were more than amicable to help end this and help those women. He was gathering his own stuff when Vander walked into his office with Presca, Beck, and Thane.

"So our dear Stellina has decided to take down a slave ring eh? Damn that girl has some balls!" Vander plopped himself on one of Kaleb's comfy chairs.

"Bigger balls than you," retorted Presca without missing a beat.

"How would you know? You keep denying me the pleasure of being with you." Presca rolled his eyes but otherwise kept quiet. He had been working with Vander long enough to know that it was damn near impossible to outwit the cocky man and that silence aggravated him to no end.

"Killjoy," mumbled Vander under his breath, knowing that the energy mage wasn't going to be playing along anymore. "How much longer do we need to wait for Bixy's team and Zadi to show up?"

"Not long, besides we picked up another to help us out," Emzadi smirked, Cobra following behind her as she walked into the room with the Thunder Legion. "So what has our kin gotten herself into now?"

"You know as much as I do right now. Virgo left me their coordinates so Thane will be taking us there and hopefully someone will fill us in on the plan from there. Thane if you would be so kind as to get us there." Thane gathered his magic around everyone and left without a sound. The group of mages landed in an abandoned house that had definitely seen better days. Dust had settled on every surface, windows were broken, and furniture was dismantled, it wasn't what anyone was expecting when it came to a base of operations.

"So glad you could all make it," Zen said as he stepped through a wall. "Lucy and Juvia are out right now, but I'll fill you in on the plan if you'll follow me." One by one the mages walked through the magical wall and were met with a buzz. Rune Knights were gathering their supplies and going over plans and who was stationed where while others were going over profiles of the women, trying to attain as much information as possible.

"Where's Tink?"

"I don't know. She saw a picture on the table and began angry."

"Angry as in she plans to glitter bomb the ever loving shit out of someone, or she wants to kick you into a wall, or hell hath no fury like Angry Lucy?" Bickslow asked, hoping that Zen would understand the differences. The Thunder Legion was well acquainted with the first two but only her team had seen the last one, no one talked much about what had happened though.

"Definitely hell hath no fury," Zen retorted without missing a beat. "Juvia also knew the young woman who had been captured and had cried before she eventually went to find Lucy." Zen picked up the picture that had been left of the table and passed it to Kaleb. "Juvia and Lucy didn't say much about the woman, just that her name was Wendy." The growl that flowed throughout the room had everyone halting what they were doing to stare at the new people. The Thunder Legion was shocked to see the picture of Wendy, who's hair was flat against her dirt-stained face and tattered clothing.

"Wendy is the sky dragon slayer that was part of Fairy Tail and frequently went on missions with Team Natsu. Lucy and Wendy had developed a deep sibling bond from what I know," Freed offered to the White Sea mages.

"Who?" Laxus could only say the one word as he was consumed with a white-hot rage. He could understand why Lucy was angry now and knew that one way or another the people responsible for this would be at their mercy.

"A mage named Bora," Zen supplied to the angry blonde slayer. "I know nothing about him though, except that Lucy knows who he is from a previous encounter."

"How? I'm sure that Miss Lucy wasn't hurt by him while in the guild?" Freed said as he started to go over every possible kidnapping, battle, or mission that Lucy had been a part of.

"I met him before I joined Fairy Tail." The group of mages looked at Lucy and Juvia, both of which had returned looking better than when they left, or so Zen thought. It was easy to see they had both been crying from the slight redness to their cheeks and eyes, but both seemed in better spirits than before. "I met Bora in Hargeon after I had left the konzern in search of a guild to join. I was running from home, from the arranged marriage my father was setting up and had run into the despicable fire mage. He was using a love charm to get women to follow him while pretending to be Salamander, my interest was piqued and I fell into his plot. Natsu broke the charm for me and since I was aware of what was going on I didn't fall victim to it when he came around again. The next time we talked he told me he was part of Fairy Tail and that he'd help me get in if I joined him on the ship that was taking him back. Once on the ship, I figured out what he was doing and Natsu came to rescue me again, granted I may have called Aquarius out and had her wash the ship onto the shore where Natsu took care of the rest. That was my first encounter with a mage while on my travels. Now I am quite curious to know how he escaped."

"My men are still looking into the incident at the prison. No-one has any recollection of what happened and we have some talented mind reading mages in our group plus security cameras," Captain Tek spoke up as all eyes were now on him. "I am sorry we don't have more to go on, but I have been granted permission from Queen Husui and King Altiene that we are to use any means necessary to take down the ring."

"That's what I'm talkin' about," hollered Vander. "What's our plan Stellina?"

"We're going to wait until it's dark and then . . ."

* * *

Several hours had gone by since Lucy had divulged her plan to the team, and with a few changes thanks to Kaleb's keen eye, they were ready to head out. They were all split into teams of two to cover more ground and help more people. The mages would be the ones doing most of the heavy lifting while the Rune Knights waited in the trees outside the bunker. Freed and Evergreen were going to be with them to ensure that no traps or runes were activated while everyone was getting into position, handle any stragglers, and alert the team to any sneak attacks. Kaleb had fully linked the mages minds so that they everyone would be aware of what was going on and call for help if necessary.

The complex was square in design with four guards posted at each entrance, with an entrance on each side that equaled sixteen guards. Vander was currently scoping out the inside on the bunker and relaying the specs, guards, and where the women were located to the link. Once Vander returned from each team volunteered what route the wanted to take. Virgo had supplied everyone with magic canceling cuffs for the mission and was going to be tunneling underground to the four areas where the women were being kept. Laxus and Bickslow were going to take out the mages at the east entrance before heading into that door. They would head to the first group of women and send them on their way with Virgo or Aries out a tunnel. The mages need only push their magic into the ground and the last bit of earth would give way so that everyone could escape.

Emzadi and Beck would be doing the same thing on the south side, Zen and Vander on the west side and Presca with Cobra on the north end. Thane would be teleporting Kaleb, Lucy, and Juvia to the old janitor's closet in the heart of the complex before splitting up to cover more ground. Kaleb and Thane would be heading to the control room where a large number of mages would be stationed, waiting for the order to move out. Lucy and Juvia were heading to the medical bay where several women and guards were located. Lucy had would call her spirits out she needed them, or her team if they so chose to utilize them. Cristoff would be joining the two women when he joined the battle in hopes of healing anyone who may need it and as extra strength.

Each team took their positions and when Kaleb gave the go-ahead they would all attack at once, so not alert anyone else in the vicinity. One lone lightning bolt incapacitated all four guards as Bickslow slapped the cuffs on then headed through the door to where their group of women were being held. Laxus almost growled when he saw the state of some of the women, but reined it in so he wouldn't scare them away. Bickslow did most of the talking, as his babies cut through the metal bars, happy that the women were responding to his charms. Laxus stepped in and send a bolt into the ground, but had to jump back as the ground beneath his feet started to collapse. Aries appeared next to Bickslow as she led the women through the tunnel, the seith mage helping the women down as Laxus kept watch. Once the women were all within the tunnel they waited several minutes before seeing the opening close itself. Seems Virgo was going to be closing the tunnels as the women made it out so no one could follow them. The two men high fived and headed to the control where they would meet up with the majority of the others.

Kaleb had taken down the twenty or so odd men that were in the control room, effectively putting them all into their worse nightmare, as Thane was slowly putting cuffs on each man. Kaleb was picking their memories apart looking for the man named Bora or any other hint of a bigger plan that was at play but was disappointed when he found none. He reached out to the other team members to see how they were doing and asking for a head count. Emzadi and Beck reported that they ran into more guards where the women were stationed, but everything had been quiet otherwise. Forty women was the tally so far but no one had heard from Lucy or Juvia yet, and that was bothersome to everyone who was now gathered in the control room. Kaleb tried to reach the two women but was effectively met by a mental wall, neither of which the two women had put up on their own, which meant that someone had gotten to them first. Emzadi went to open the door only to find that it had been locked from the inside. Either Bora was more cunning than they originally thought or they had a mole amongst them.

Lucy and Juvia had gotten to the medical bay without an issue, had heard there were only forty women accounted for and was going to reply that there were only eight here before a sweet scent hit her. She watched as Juvia went down hard, the poor water mage was overwhelmed by the charm that was trying to control Lucy, however, she had been anticipating this in the off chance and called Gemini Cobra out. Charms were essentially poison that worked to trick a person, it just depended on what charm was being used. Gemini Cobra quickly made an antidote, biting Lucy's wrists followed by Juvia's, and Lucy was immediately feeling the effects lessening as the fogginess cleared away. Gemini Cobra left, but Virgo appeared to escort the eight women out of the medical area. Juvia was slowly starting to wake up but not before she was being addressed.

"My my my. Look at how strong you've become since I first met the naive girl in Hargeon. I can see I am going to have to try harder to capture you this time around, Lucy." Bora's charming voice echoed in the stillness of the room as he entered from another door. "You're still as beautiful as ever. No wonder there is a bounty of that pretty little head of yours."

"A bounty?"

"Joya is still looking for you and has a very handsome reward out for your safe capture and arrival to the High Warqueen Sydelle. Surely you haven't forgotten that you were captured by the slavers of Seven and heading there no long ago. Granted that is neither here nor there since I'll be rich once I have you, even if I only have you after all of this is done."

"Where is she?"

"The cute little bluenette? Why she and her friends are waiting, so if you'll be so kind as to follow me." Juvia had woken up but was still groggy as she helped Juvia walk to wherever Bora was leading them too. Lucy tried to reach Kaleb only to find that the link was gone, so she sent Plue to them in hopes that someone could understand the messages she would be sending to them through him. Lucy watched as Bora walked through a wall, leaving Juvia to stand watch and try to reach Kaleb as well, so entered on her own accord. Tied to chairs were Wendy and Carla, the latter had her mouth taped shut and a magic canceling collar around her neck. Her normally pristine white coat was matted with mud, twigs, and leaves and she looked to be in a deep sleep while Wendy sat in the chair next to her.

"What have you done to her!" Lucy looked at the young woman with tears in her eyes. Wendy must have either been heavily sedated or had a very powerful charm on her because she looked through Lucy, as if she wasn't even there, her normally vibrant brown sugar eyes were hollow.

"It's just a new charm that I acquired after I stumbled upon the two of them in Magnolia one day. I knew that you would eventually find out that I had her and come to rescue her, after all, Fairy Tail would do anything for their family. Well, maybe not anymore since your family is scattered across all of Earthland now," Bora threw in Lucy's face before chuckling as she flinched at his words. "The cat put up quite a fight, but as you well remember my charms are powerful, and it didn't take long for them to fall victim. I was pleasantly surprised to have captured a dragon slayer, they fetch a pretty penny if you have the balls to go after them. Queen Sydelle wants powerful women in her army and I knew Wendy would fetch a high price and eventually draw you out. Imagine my surprise to see you walking through the market with the annoying water mage and tall, dark, and handsome. She has cost me many women since she joined up with the Rune Knights, but no matter. I will have you!"

Bora threw flames at Lucy who ducked and rolled out of the way then called forth her Aquarius stardress form to combat his fires with her water. Before Lucy had a chance to get up Bora threw another set of flames at her which she dodged again, rolling into a crouching position and sending a jet stream at water towards him. She hit him in the chest and Bora was propelled into the closest wall, leaving a small dent from the impact. Bora groaned as he pushed himself off the wall, cracking his neck before setting his sights on Lucy.

"Well well well. Looks like someone has grown in magical strength since the last time we met, not quite the damsel anymore," Bora placed his hands over one another as purple flames started to engulf them. "You're not the only one who learned some new tricks." Bora rapidly fired balls of fire at Lucy who did her best to evade them until the last one caught her left shoulder, but she managed to stay upright. The attack had burned her pretty good and she was bleeding from the wound slightly. Lucy sent several waves of water at Bora, who took to the offensive and was trying not to be caught in the waves.

While Lucy kept Bora at bay she called out Cancer to release Wendy and Carla from the chairs they were restrained in and asked him to get them out to where Juvia was waiting for her, and hopefully some other members from the team. Cancer gently picked Carla up and Wendy limped alongside him, but before she could make it out the door the young slayer was hit from behind from a fireball.

"WENDY!" Lucy screamed and ran towards her. She felt several fireballs connect with her back, but she pushed the pain out of her mind so she could make it to Wendy to protect her. Lucy called Cancer back into the room and summoned Virgo to keep Bora busy for as long as they could, she summoned Gemini who turned into Cristoff to heal Wendy fast so that she could make it out.

"Lu-cy," Wendy whispered as she rolled over. "I didn't think anyone would find me. He hit me from behind with a charm and I couldn't do anything about it. I watched as my body did what he wanted it to do, but I was too weak to stop it." Wendy cried as she held onto Lucy for dear life. "The past three months have been hell. I wasn't raped since I was a virgin and Joya was willing to pay extra for me to be kept that way, but I watched so many other people Lucy. So many women get caught, forced against their wishes and I couldn't help!" Lucy had Gemini Cristoff go help in the fight against Bora as she cradled Wendy, trying to calm the frantic girl.

"You're safe now Wendy. The Thunder Legion, Cobra, and Juvia are all here to ensure you are safe, along with the other women that were captured. I have some friends from White Sea helping us as well. We will have ample time to talk once we're all safe, but for now, I need you to go through that wall to where Juvia is at with Carla. I need you safe so that I can kill this bastard once and for all," Wendy numbly nodded at the older blonde as she walked to the wall and gave one last glance at Lucy before she disappeared from her sight. Juvia was waiting with Evergreen, who was holding Carla, and easily scooped the small mage into her arms. Wendy had never been happier to see the water mage in all her life, knowing that Lucy had things well handled she let herself succumb to the blackness that was calling to her stressed body.

"Cristoff!" Evergreen yelled when she saw the large lunar slayer run past an open door. The lunar slayer doubled back and entered the room with and approached Evergreen. His hand hovered over Carla's forehead as he scanned her for any injuries and healing the minor cuts and scrapes she had. He moved over to the small slayer that was resting in the arms of another bluenette, repeating the process but coming up with no injuries. The three older mages turned their heads to the next room when they heard Lucy yell, the wall exploded in bright light and bricks as Bora was driven through it.

Lucy stepped over the rubble that Bora created when he went through the wall. Listening to Wendy cry her heart out, feeling how scared she was, had pissed Lucy off. She had changed her stardress to her Leo form, deciding that hand-to-hand combat would make her feel much better. Bora had exchanged some blows with her and had sent Cancer back, but between her, Virgo, and Gemini Cristoff he was hard-pressed to stay on the defensive, let alone fight back.

"You will regret the day you decided to harm my SISTER!" Lucy punched Bora in the gut with her regulus impact, sending him through the wall. She was currently marching over the wounded mage, spirits following closely behind her, as she picked him up out of the stone debris and tossed him to Virgo. "Take him to your prison Virgo and make sure he receives his punishment. As long as he stays alive I don't care what you do to him." Virgo smiled creepily at the stunned mage as the two of them vanished. "Thanks for all your help Gemini!" She smiled as Cristoff turned back into Gemi and Mini giggling as they whispered something into Lucy's ear, causing their keyholder to gasp. The twins were still giggling as they poofed back to their homeworld and Lucy ran towards Juvia, pulling Wendy into her arms and holding her close. Wendy curled around Lucy and the tension in her body all but melted at the familiar smell of the older woman.

"Well that explains why Lucy was healed," Cristoff murmured as he watched Lucy holding the young slayer, crying in relief. "You're hurt too Lucy, let me . . ."

"NO! I am fine, besides we need to make sure that everyone else is alright. Juvia and I couldn't hear anyone once we came into this room. Evergreen, when did you get here?"

"Thane teleported me here. Kaleb figured the more familiar female faces Wendy knew the better she'd feel." Evergreen adjusted Carla in her arms a little to get her comfortable. "The other team members were trapped in the control room, well until Emzadi melted a wall." Cristoff rolled his eyes, knowing his sister was just showing off a little. "Laxus and Cobra decided to stay here to make sure we all made it out in one piece, while the others are rounding up the women and slave traders. The Rune Knights are helping with the majority of that, plus Arman and Farron are here with the Boscan airship and helping get the women situated."

"That's good. How about we head out too? I am more than done with this shithole," Lucy smiled weakly at her three friends.

"Can I carry Wendy for you, please Lucy?" Cristoff's concerned eyes met her tired chocolate ones and she gave in to his request since there would be no arguing with the large lunar slayer. The small team walked out the door and were greeted with Cobra and Laxus taking down a couple of weak mages that were still hanging around. Cobra turned around and smiled at Evergreen, who blushed, before turning his sights on a battered Lucy still in a torn black dress. Laxus was pushing past him, making a beeline towards his mate.

"Blondie you ok?" Laxus was standing before her but not touching her, much to his dragon's disappointment.

"Yea I'm mostly ok. I have Gemini transform into Cris, so he could heal Wendy before he healed the worst part of my wounds. However, I'm exhausted . . . too many spirits out," Lucy yawned as she took the two steps to Laxus and rested her head against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. Lucy knew she'd normally be the color of a tomato holding onto her crush, but right now she couldn't have given two shits about it. He had a way of making Lucy feel safe which was what she desperately wanted right now.

"I've got ya Blondie," Laxus lifted Lucy up bridal style and turned to head out to where the other would be waiting for them. Lucy rested her head against his broad shoulder, hand over where his heart was. She knew they'd have to talk about her crush on him with him, knew he had a mate out there, but decided to let the world fade away and enjoyed his warmth as she fell asleep. Laxus felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips as he felt Lucy's breathing even out, elated that she had trusted him enough to fall asleep.

"Juvia would like to head back with everyone. Lucy said that Juvia would be able to find a home with White Sea where Lucy is planning on becoming a mage." Three heads whipped around at her statement so fast that she almost got whiplash. "Did Juvia say something wrong?"

"Lucy wanted to stay at White Sea?" Laxus dared to utter to the water mage.

"That is what Lucy told Juvia. Lucy said that the master would welcome Juvia with open arms. Was Lucy not telling Juvia the truth?" the rain woman looked over at Lucy who was smiling while being held by Laxus.

"White Sea is more than willing to accept a mage such as you into our guild," Cristoff smiled, shuffling Wendy around a bit so he could place a hand on Juvia's exposed shoulder. His dragon raised its head at the skin on skin contact, purring as it curled up to get some sleep. "I'll introduce you to my brother Kaleb, the guild master, and you can ask him what he thinks. He'll want to see your magic skills to rank you, but I don't see why he wouldn't agree to bring you into the guild." Cristoff was not prepared to have Juvia launch herself at his person, repeatedly saying thank you while avoiding hurting Wendy. Again his dragon purred at the contact from the water mage, which was confusing Cristoff.

"Juvia is very thankful for your help lunar dragon slayer!"

"Please call me Cristoff." Juvia's cheeks reddened a bit, but she smiled nonetheless.

"Let's get going," the gruff voice of Laxus cut through.

"Of course Laxus. We'll need to help those women out once we get Lucy, Wendy, and Carla. Juvia will lead the way to the clearing since all of you have your hands full." It didn't take long for the small team to make its way through the dense forest with Juvia using her water slicer to clear a path for them. The remaining mages were met with a cheer from their families as Arman had Cristoff, Evergreen, and Laxus take the three women to the medical bay. Juvia walked around to each woman and started to hydrate them with her magic and when she looked up to see Cristoff standing there staring at her she smiled and waived at him before carrying on. Juvia was happy to have succeeded in this mission, to once again be with Lucy, and the possbility of starting a new life with a new guild had her constantly smiling. Life was starting to look up for her.

* * *

 

Italian **Translations**

 **Stellina -** little **star**


	18. Chapter 18

Sorry for the hiatus in this story, but I am back now! I had some time this weekend to work on the next chapter for WLS! I know you've all been waiting patiently to see what's going to happen next, so without further ado . . .

* * *

Juvia was going around helping whatever woman called out asking for assistance. She was delivering food and clothing to those who were asking as well as holding women who were relieved to be free once more, to consoling women as they cried for everything they had lost. Most of them just wanted reassurance that they were able to go home once everything was figured out. The rainwoman offered kind smiles and spoke in a soft voice so as not to spook the ladies any more than they already were. She had asked Laxus how Lucy and Wendy were doing and he told her that Wendy would be out for a while but Lucy was just grabbing food before she came out to help as well.

"You've got some drool their bro," Vander smirked at the lunar slayer, resting his arms behind his head. "Heard she water locked Zen when she thought Lucy had been jumped while coming here via her spirit. Damn thing expanded to accommodate his wings and he couldn't do anything about it. I'm excited to be testing her for ranking when she joins the guild."

"You're doing her testing?" Cristoff was shocked. He figured that Xally would go up against the water mage, test her limits in the setting.

"She asked Kaleb about joining with Lucy and Cobra already, shocked the hell out of Kaleb to hear Lucy wanted to join," laughed the youngest Pradesh male. "Called me over about doing her assessment and I'm just tickled pink too. Emzadi gets to handle Cobra's and you'll never guess who he picked for our dear Stellina." Cristoff pointedly looked at his brother with an eyebrow raised. "Kaleb's going to do it himself. Been itching to test her since her little display in the guild's training room with him that day she beat your ass in a race there."

"Stellina is full of surprises. How much longer before Laxus caves?"

"Three days. Once we are home, healed, and slept he won't be able to stop himself from claiming her fine ass."

"Bossman will take at least another week, and that'll be after we defeat the guys that attacked Van and Xally. He won't take her before he's able to bash some heads in." 'Bash heads. Bash heads.' "Besides Van, I think the real question here is how long it'll take Cris to make a move on our dear sweet water mage. Lucy and Ever will monopolize her time for at least a day. Hell, throw in an additional day when Emzadi and Xally are able to get a hold of her."

"Don't forget our father dearest Bix. Cris will be sporting blue balls for a while."

"Fuck off you two. Juvia is cute and I look forward to getting to know my new guildmate is all." Bickslow just cackled as he saw Cristoff's pale yellow soul reaching towards her soft blue one, which was staying away as if hesitant to touch his. He could see the hurt that she had suffered, wasn't quite ready to get back out into the world. However, there was no denying that they were soulmates. Cristoff would just have to bid his time her, help her where he could and keep it in his pants.

"Hey guys," Lucy waved as she walked over to the three of them. "How's everyone doing?"

"Dad and Farron just about have everyone accounted for, Cosplayer. He figures we'll be able to head back to Bosco within the hour."

"Where will the women be staying?" Lucy's worried glance looked over the fifty women knowing they wouldn't fit in the guild or the Pradesh estate.

"King Altiene is renting out a hotel for the women where they will be able to talk to a therapist and call family. Once they have been cleared by the doctors White Sea will be accompanying them home, as well as acting as security for the hotel. Kaleb got the mission from the King this morning," Cristoff explained to ease his kin.

"Lucy!" A bluenette ran over to her, giving her a once-over before pulling her into a quick hug. "Juvia is so happy to see that Lucy is feeling better. Juvia wanted to tell Lucy that Master Kaleb will accept her into White Sea with her friends and that Vander will be testing Juvia's abilities tomorrow afternoon. Juvia is hoping you will be there to support Juvia."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else Juvia," Lucy smiled at the woman before linking her arms with the water mage. "I need to introduce you to Emzadi. One of the Pradesh siblings and the kick-ass solar dragon slayer." The two women left the men to their own devices as they made their way over to where Emzadi was heating water from a stream so women could wash and change into clothes that Virgo had brought. "Zadi! I would like to introduce you to a dear friend of mine, Juvia. Juvia, this is Emzadi."

"Juvia is pleased to meet you," she smiled warmly at the tall, tanned, blonde woman. Emzadi leaned in a pressed a brief kiss to Juvia's lips in greeting, giggling when her cheeks turned rosy. Juvia had been in Bosco long enough to know some traditions but this one still embarrassed her to some degree. Emzadi looked up to see Cristoff's eyes flash white briefly, plots forming in her head that she couldn't wait to tell Xally about.

"It's great to meet you as well Juvia. You must come shopping with us tomorrow afternoon, after your induction and assessment of course. We'll make a Boscan out of the two of you yet." Emzadi winked at the two blushing mages. Teasing three dragon slayers was going to be so much fun and she knew that Vander would be a willing participant in her schemes. Xally and Bickslow may take a little more convincing.

"Juvia would like to shop with all of you."

"Perfect! Between you and I, you're wearing way too many clothes for the warm weather of the Boscan summer. We'll find you some clothes that'll have everyone asking to share pleasure with you." Lucy rolled her eyes forgetting how brash Emzadi could be with her words, the female version of Vander. Juvia was taking it in stride which made Lucy incredibly happy.

"Juvia has shared pleasure with a couple of men and a woman since she started this mission." Emzadi grinned as he watched Cristoff spit out the water he was drinking while a cackling Vander smacked him on the back. "It was alright."

"Didn't find someone with the right connection I take it?"

"Juvia supposes so. Juvia just feels like she's broken after . . . after what happened." Lucy pulled the water mage into a side hug, shooting Emzadi a look that clearly stated they'd talk about it later.

"Don't worry Juvia. There are plenty of people in White Sea for you to choose from and you never know when the right one will cross your path. Maybe we can even get Lucy to share pleasure with some of our guild's fine men, or women." Emzadi was throwing a party in her head when she felt the static in the air increase. "If all else fails Vander is very very good at ensuring his partners are well cared for." The was a spark followed by an exploding tree branch several yards in the forest.

"No need to worry ladies," Kaleb stepped up to calm the women before shooting a scathing look at his sister. "Just some of our mages going over any traps that might be in the area. On that note we are all ready for you to board the airship, so you can start making your way aboard. Thank you."

"Come on Juvia. Emzadi," Lucy brightly smiled at the woman. "Let's these women get comfortable before we go check on Wendy and Carla." The three women started assisting some of the weaker women up the ramp as Laxus joined the guys from the forest.

"You touch her Vander and there won't be anything left for your father to bury you." Laxus left the warning hanging in the air as he went about cleaning up camp followed by Cristoff and Bickslow.

"Well, this should be fun!" Vander internally cackled as he rubbed his hands together.

* * *

Wendy slept the entire trip back and all through the night, waking up with the light of the sunrise. She looked around her surroundings, not recognizing anything that would state where she was currently at. Carla still slept peacefully on a smaller bed not far from her, so at least they weren't in trouble. Throwing the covers off she got up on wobbly legs and made her way to the shower. After almost two solid months in her own personal hellhole, she desperately needed to get clean. She had never been kidnapped before now, but she didn't like it one bit. Thankfully she was a virgin so the men didn't rape her as they had with women who weren't. She had stood up to the men on several occasions and had been punished for her disobedience. Joya had wanted her, according to Bora, but she still didn't understand why.

She stepped out of the shower to find clothes laid out for her on the edge of the sink. An emerald green tank top with white shorts complete with a bra and two sets of underwear, either a white thong or a bikini bottoms. Wendy chewed her lip as she grabbed the thong and slipped it on followed by the rest of her clothes. She pulled her long blue locks up in a messy bun on top of her head leaving a couple of longer pieces to frame her face. She looked herself over in the full-length mirror gasping at what she was seeing. The white shorts made her legs look long and hugged her ass just right while the green tank top showed the barest amount of her mid-drift, but it was her boobs that she was shocked to see. She had blossomed after the guild disbanded but after being captured she stuck to wearing looser tops so guys could look at her. She could see her cleavage showing, pushed up so that men could clearly see that she had something going on upstairs but not enough to worry about a possible nip slip. Shaking her head she left the bathroom to see a familiar face sitting on her bed.

"Lucy!"

"Morning Wendy. Hope you don't mind but I had Virgo bring you some clothes and asked her to wake me up when you woke. I didn't want you to feel abandoned," Lucy explained as she opened her arms for the young mage to fly into. Wendy began to cry into the older mages shoulder so Lucy just pulled her close and rocked her. "Shhh. I've got you now Wendy, nothing in the world will separate us ever again. I promise!" Lucy felt her nod her head and started to hum a childhood tune.

"Is Carla ok? She's been sleeping a lot and I'm not used to that."

"Cristoff, the lunar dragon slayer, put her into a healing sleep. She'll wake up when she's ready too." Wendy sighed in relief as the tears stopped, still refusing to leave her spot in Lucy's lap. The sixteen-year-old knew it was immature but she needed to reassurance right now. "Mr. Elan is making breakfast for everyone this morning if you're feeling up to meeting them all. I'll show you around the estate and the White Sea guild once we are done. Cobra, Juvia, I have decided to join the guild so you are free to do so as well. Then we are going to watch Juvia's assessment against Vander for ranking purposes. Afterward Emzadi, Xally, Ever, and I are taking Juvia shopping. Would you like to come?" Wendy nodded her head yes, unsure of how steady her voice would be. "Would it be alright if we lay down where it'd be a little more comfortable?"

"Sorry Lucy," Wendy whispered as the two women adjusted their positions. Lucy started to draw circles on the young woman's are noticing that she had drifted back to sleep. Lucy looked at the bedside clock noticing it was only six thirty, which meant they had time to catch a couple more hours of sleep. She brushed Horologium's asking him to wake them up no later than eight thirty. Lucy closed her eyes as she drifted into a light sleep where she could still hear the birds chirping and was aware that Wendy was still tucked against her. Logically she knew that they were safe in the Pradesh estate but she couldn't find it within herself to fall into a deep sleep. She let her mind wander over the events since she had been rescued, meeting the Pradesh's, saving Vander, kinship bonds, everything. Life was starting to turn around.

Horologium's key vibrated as Lucy touched it, sending her thanks through the link. She shook Wendy awake, smiling as the cute slayer blinked several times before smiling back at the blonde. They straightened their clothes, slipping on sandals that Virgo left them, and began to walk towards the kitchen. Wendy grabbed Lucy's hand as they got closer to the kitchen where a bunch of yelling was happening. Lucy just giggled. "You'll find that the Pradesh family is every bit as rambunctious as Fairy Tail was. It's the first time I have felt at home since the guild was disbanded. They are all notorious flirts and troublemakers, so don't pay any mind to them. especially Vander."

"Ouch Stellina," Vander said from his place on the chandelier.

"Do I even want to know?" Lucy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Vander may have snuck some of Bickslow's food and the babies may have responded by flying him up and hanging him there," Xally said with a smile on her lips. Lucy just laughed and shook her head, never a dull moment.

"You feeling alright Wendy?" a large man with platinum blonde hair asked her. Wendy proceeded to hide slightly behind Lucy when she was addressed.

"Wendy I would like you to meet Master Kaleb. He will be inducting us into White Sea and with the help of his mages we were able to rescue you." Laxus growled when he saw Wendy hug Lucy, her head nuzzling close to her breast. Lucy was his mate and Wendy was his kin but his dragon was stating that she shouldn't be so close his mate. She wasn't a hatchling. Laxus was trying to reason with his dragon but the damn thing was still growling. Another growl was heard in the room that grabbed his attention. Wendy knew what that growl meant. A warning stating that she was too close to his mate but Wendy didn't see a mating mark, even so, she wasn't a threat to him. Lucy was her kin, her sister is so many ways. She had pulled away from Lucy to growl back at Laxus, eyes flashing pink at his threat. Wendy wasn't about to back down from Laxus.

"Damn," Vander said from his place above the table. "Lil blue has got some fangs." The two slayers immediately stopped, realizing they were causing a scene, also not liking the way Lucy was now glaring at him. "Sorry," Laxus mumbled towards Wendy. Lucy stopped glaring at Laxus enough to introduce everyone to Wendy.

"Fanciulla del cielo, welcome to our home. I hope that you enjoy your stay for as long as you are here." Wendy looked at the older man and smiled brightly at him, feeling the warmth he radiated. "Vander get yourself down and join us, please." The pouting shadowquip mage took to the shadows before sitting next to Cristoff and Xally.

"Thank you, Mr. Pradesh, but what does that phrase you said mean?" Wendy blushed slightly when she asked the question.

"Girl of the sky. Nothing less for the sister of our dear Stellina." Arman replied as Lucy whispered that stellina meant little star and that they all referred to her in some kind of a star reference. "Now everyone please dig in before the food goes cold."

* * *

Lucy was showing Juvia and Wendy around the guild, having already shown them the beauty of the Pradesh estate. They were joined by Evergreen and the four fairy mages made their way through the large guild. Evergreen was explaining how missions worked, accommodations, training, and anything else that came to mind. They stopped for a brief lunch before they headed towards Master Kaleb's office to be inducted into the guild. Evergreen was explaining to the three girls that Boscan tradition dictates that a chaste kiss seals the deal once the paperwork and guildmark had been placed on the mages, you could choose the forehead or lips. Evergreen waited in the background for the girls, wanting to make sure they sat together for Juvia ranking spar.

"Good afternoon ladies, Cobra," Kaleb's voice washed over them as the four mages entered. "I understand that I have three of you wishing to join. Wendy, is this your intention as well?"

"Yes please Master Kaleb."

"Alright. Here is the paperwork you will need to sign out," Kaleb began to explain. "White Sea has its own main account with our mages subaccounts branching out from there. The guild will be paid and based on the job you have taken the system will automatically pay you for your portion. It will also take what is owed to the guild for housing and meals at the end of every month, with the first three months being free as you learn how things work at White Sea. Once you are ranked I will input you into the system and you will be able to begin work immediately. Our mission system chooses mages based on their magic type, ranking, and mission details. I imagine you will all be busy with jobs due to the uniqueness of your magics." The four mages read over everything before signing and handing the papers back to the mindbender mage. "Cobra, poison dragon slayer, where would you like your stamp?"

"On the inside of my right bicep." Cobra took off his jacket and undershirt as Kaleb placed the stamp on his skin. "You're drooling a bit there fairy queen." Evergreen sputtered some, blushing and hiding behind her fan. Kaleb placed his kiss to Cobra's forehead, "Welcome to White Sea Cobra. You're ranking will be tomorrow morning against Emzadi. Juvia, water mage, where would you like your guildmark?"

"Juvia would like it above her right breast, please." Kaleb gently placed the stamp on her body before briefly kissing her on the lips. "Welcome to the guild. You're ranking is against Vander this afternoon Lucy, celestial mage, where would you like your mark?"

"The outside of my right thigh, Master Kaleb." The white guildmark sparkled against her skin as he moved in to press his lips against Lucy's for a moment. "Welcome to White Sea. Tomorrow afternoon you will be facing me for ranking. And lastly Wendy, sky dragon slayer, where would you like your guild stamp?"

"I'd like it on the outside of my right ankle, please Master Kaleb." Kaleb grabbed her ankle, causing Wendy to shiver slightly at the light touch. He placed the stamp on his desk before bending down to kiss her lips, lingering longer than he should have. He smiled at the light blush on her cheeks from the innocent act.

"In two days time, you will be facing against Cristoff for your ranking Wendy. Welcome, all of you to White Sea! Tonight we will be throwing a party in your honor and I look forward to seeing you all there. Lucy stay for a moment please, and I will see the rest of you within the hour."

"What can I help you with Master Kaleb?" Lucy inquired once the others had left the room.

"You can drop formalities when we are in private or at father's house. I wanted to let you know that once we have ranked all of you we will be making our move on those that hurt Vander. The men you captured, along with the lacrima, were invaluable to us. You are going to be a key component in my plan so I need to know that you are all in."

"Of course! I will help in any way I can."

"Thank you. The selected team will know the details once Wendy is ranked. Shall we head down to the training grounds?" Lucy smiled as he held the door open for her, meeting up with Laxus and Bickslow on the walk there. Lucy was nervous for Juvia but also excited that she was starting this journey off with such a close friend of hers. She knew that both mages were talented, one being able to use shadows however he deemed and the other had incredible control over water. This would be a tough match to watch but Lucy was already sitting on the edge of her seat.

"Relax blondie," Laxus said as he sat down to her right and Wendy on her left. The arena slowly filled with mages who were interested in the battle. "I refused to give Vander any intel on the Juvia, so to my knowledge he just thinks her water magic is comparable to Xally's. Her biggest issue will be the hand-to-hand part that the brothers are all famous for. Should be interesting, to say the least."

Kaleb stood in the grandstand with Cristoff and Thane before announcing the rules, "Neither mage with cause mortal harm to the other. The winner will be declared by either an omission of defeat or the first one to lose consciousness. Good luck to both parties." Vander stood on the one side in his normal black and red leather outfit that he conjured from the shadows. Juvia was standing on the other side dressed in leather as well, her outfit a dark blue corset top and black skin-tight pants. It had the crowd whistling and cat-calling, which mage it was directed at was anyone's guess.

"Are you just going to stand there all day bluebell?" Vander asked while double spinning his shadow made knives in each hand but Juvia didn't budge. "Have it your way then." Vander launched both his knives directly at the water mage's center, watching as she waited until the last possible moment to spin away sending a slice of water his way. Vander easily avoided the attack while forming more weapons, this time shuriken were his weapon of choice. Easy to make and had more deadly accuracy with their smaller size. Juvia's hand was covered in water as she summoned her water whip to knock the stars off to the side. "You're fairly quick bluebell, I'll give you that." He smirked as he dived into the shadows, something that Evergreen had told her about while Lucy was talking with the Master. Juvia ran to the center of the training grounds, filling the floor with water as she made her way there while dodging more ninja stars. The water reached mid-calf as she was looking for the next sign of Vander.

Vander emerged from the waters with a smirk. "You filled the grounds with water creating delicious shadows for me to pop up and out of whenever. There are shadow's almost anywhere, including the lurking depths of the sea." Juvia started launching several water slicer attacks on the mage who was either dodging them or slinking off into the shadows.

"What is she doing?" Bickslow uttered as he watched Vander toy with her. "This fight will be over sooner than I thought. Granted Vander's shadowquip magic is ridiculously flexible."

"She has a plan, you just need to wait for it Bix," Lucy said with a smile on her face. "Juvia is waiting for her opening while not letting Vander get inside her head." Juvia continued to play whack-a-mole with Vander, landing a couple of decent hits before he materialized behind her grasping her hands within his own. He had her pinned to his body, both her dainty hands within one of his own.

"How about you just give up bluebell. No need to drag this out any longer," he whispered into her ear. He materialized a knife and was about to press it to her throat when she suddenly melted, becoming one with the water. Vander blinked several times, looking around his surroundings. "Well, I'll be damned. A water body to match my own shadowy one." Juvia rose from the water while creating a water dome around the training area, keeping the waters rotating as if in a cyclone. Vander went to jump out the top of the dome only to be thrown forcefully into the watery arena. The water was moving too fast for his shadows to sneak past and he couldn't brutally attack it with force or he'd more than likely lose body parts.

"Water Nebula!" Two large columns of water shot up on either side of Vander, forming a helix with him at the center of it before dropping him back into the water. Vander stood up, coughing water, having to conjure a shadow shield to stop her onslaught of water slicer attack. He threw several ninja stars, hearing her yelp of pain as a couple sliced her thighs and upper arms. Juvia slashed her water-covered hands outward, creating a torrent of water that engulfed her target leaving Vander with a large cut across his chest.

"Damn bluebell." It had been a long while since a mage he ranked had been able to land such a strong hit on her person. "I think we really need to skip the foreplay now." Vander attacked her head on, his magic was better at long distance battles or when he could just toss a person into the shades, but he needed to get right up in her business and take her out. Juvia knew she wasn't going to be able to win this match but she was going to go down fighting, showing her new guild all she had to offer. Vander was only a couple feet in front of her when she summoned a vicious whirlpool which pushed her opponent away with great force.

Vander went into the shadows of the water, using them to propel his across the bottom of the water. "Water Lock!" Juvia pulled Vander's shadow body out of the water and into the floating ball of water. "Water is Juvia's element. She can feel your presence wherever you are within it, knowing exactly when you are about to strike." Vander became solid again, glaring at the bluenette. He covered her ball of water in shadows and essentially wrung himself dry of the bubble he had been encased in. 

Lucy was biting her lip while watching the battle, knowing that water was her element but not realizing just how strategic the mage was. She didn't realize it but her hand was gripping Laxus' leg for the duration of the battle, squeezing tighter when it looked like Juvia was in a jam. Laxus refused to say anything, enjoying the fact that she was using him for some kind of comfort. He was listening to everyone making bets on the two mages, all impressed by the women in the arena. He knew Juvia was strong but seeing her pull out all the stops was amazing. She'd easily make S Class rank in his opinion, if not double S and then they'd start training her to become a century mage. Kaleb had pulled Laxus aside earlier to state that Cristoff was going to start his training as a Century Mage once the issue with Hestor was figured out. They'd try to open is third origin with this training and once that was done he'd start to work his way up the ranks as well. 

"Juvia!" Lucy's cry brought his focus back to the battle, as Vander was finally able to get close enough to the woman to effectively knock her out. The cyclone dome disappeared once Juvia was out, Vander holding her so that she didn't fall face first into the water. "Easy Blondie, she's alright. Used up a hell of a lot of her magic in this fight, but damn if it wasn't impressive."

"Quiet please," Kaleb's voice rang across the crowd, instantly quieting. "Juvia has been awarded double S class ranking by the three of us. Does anyone have any objections to this?" The people in the stands were quiet, no one disputing the fact. "Very well. Thank you all for watching and I am sure I will see most of you over the course of the next two days." Cristoff jumped off the grandstand and made his way to his brother and Juvia, while Xally was dealing with all of the excess water in the training grounds. 

"Damn Cris," Vander said while sitting on the floor, still holding Juvia, "I wasn't expecting that. Bluebell gave me a run for my money." Cristoff healed his brother, the coolness of his magic flowing through him.

"She impressed the hell out of us. Light on her feet, quick to act, and can turn her entire body into water." He picked up the pale woman from Vander, holding her in one arm as he used the other to start to heal her cuts and bruises.

"If you can pull her out of her shell she'll make one hell of a sexual partner," Vander wiggled his eyebrows as Cristoff snapped his teeth at the man. Vander was cackling at his older brother's display of possessiveness. "Another dragon slayer bites the dust."     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	19. Chapter 19

Lucy was waking up feeling quite groggy after last night's induction into White Sea party, as well as Juvia's ranking. She woke up to see she was curled into Cristoff and Vander's side, Juvia was sleeping on Cristoff's chest, while Wendy was snuggled into the other side of the shadowquip. It had been quite the party, one that rivalled Fairy Tail's craziness. She'd also never blushed so much in her entire life. Emzadi and Xally had been talking about their sexcapades over the years, Evergreen and Juvia chiming in as well. Lucy had put her two cents in as well until Cristoff ratted her out about being a virgin still. She had sex, it was just oral sex, not the penetrating kind. Her face heated up while thinking about it even now.

The blonde got out of the warm mage sandwich she was currently resting in and made her way to her own room. She braced her hand on the wall and slowly made her way down the hall, her mind still extremely fuzzy from the alcohol she drank. Thankfully she didn't have a hangover or the need to puke, so that was a win in her books. She just needed to find her room, shower, and blissfully fall into bed and sleep it all off for several more hours. Lucy wasn't expecting for Cobra to be passed out in her bed though, or what she was hoping was him being asleep.

Lucy hoped in the shower, mind wandering to when she called Aquarius out to save Xally. Well, Gemini Aquarius. She hadn't been able to find her reformed key yet and seeing her briefly as Gemini helped the pain. She missed the mermaid spirit deeply, tears were being washed away by the water from the showerhead. She had so much pain happen to her since Aquarius sacrificed herself. Losing her spirit, watching her team leave without her, Fairy Tail falling apart, being captured, tortured in her dreams, and all the haunting nightmares that would come and go. Her favourite one was when she was being told they were coming for her, never any more of an explanation and the scenes were always different, but the message was the same.

"Tink," Cobra opened the bathroom door to see Lucy standing in a pink towel. "Why haven't you told anyone about Aquarius or the dreams? You shouldn't have to try and sort through all of this on your own. You do so much for everyone else the least we can do is listen to your internal struggles."

"Erik," Lucy smiled through her tears, "Who would have thought you would be my go-to person after all this time? First to claim me as kin, as your sister, family. Something we have both longed for and it all started in that damn cave in a steel cage." Lucy laughed at the situation.

"Everything happens for a reason Tink," Cobra steered her out of the bathroom and onto the bed. "I'm a murdering bastard who doesn't deserve the likes of you, but here we are anyways. So . . . tell me what you are going to do about your large crush on Laxus?"

"Only when you tell me about what your plans for Evergreen are," Lucy quipped back to the poison slayer.

"Touche," Cobra chuckled at the blonde. "She's my mate, Tink."

"Shut the front door!" Lucy's wide eyes stared into Cobra magenta one, blinking several times as she tried to wrap her head around this new piece of information. Evergreen and Cobra. Cobra and Evergreen. It was almost funny how perfect the two were for each other, both sarcastic to a fault with wicked tongues that would enjoy doing battle with one another. The poison slayer and the fairy mage as an item, the smile that took over her face was large and infectious.

"Cut that shit out Tink! I sure as shit not that mushy."

"You might be once you two are mated. I take it she doesn't know a thing?"

"Well I think she knows I'm attracted to her, and I sure as fuck knows she's attracted to me so that makes things easier." The truth was he had no idea what to do next. He'd never been on a date, never done anything more than fuck women when he needed it, hell he didn't even kiss the women he fucked. Kissing was for lovey-dovey types and he sure as shit didn't fit that category.

"How about you just try to get to know her better?" Lucy suggested as she closed the bathroom door behind her so that she could change. No use trying to get any more sleep now. "Sit with her while she's eating, take a mission with her, buy her a drink?"

"Yea I suppose I should start there. You know Laxus has a thing for you, right Tink? It's why he's been acting like a huge ass hole whenever someone else gets too close to you." He wasn't going to tattle and tell Lucy that she was Laxus' mate but try and point her in the right direction since Sparky wasn't moving his ass at more than a snail's pace.

"I guess I should try and talk to the big idiot as well," Lucy said with a slight blush staining her cheeks. "You should probably eat something before your match with Emzadi at ten."

"And you should just curl up in bed and get some more sleep before your own battle against Kaleb. You can still get three or so hours of sleep before making your way down to see my kick-ass fight." Lucy rolled her eyes at him before she crawled into bed, Cobra tucking her in and placing a kiss on her brow. She smiled at him as he closed the door on his way out.

"Cobra," a shocked messy haired fairy mage was a bit shocked to see her crush coming out of Lucy's room, her heart falling a bit.

"Relax fairy freak. I was just putting my kin to bed after she wondered her way back to her room early this morning." Erik _. I know you can hear me! Aske her to get some breakfast with you. Take the first step._  Cobra rolled his eye mentally at her. How she even knew what was going on when she was on the verge of sleep was beyond him. "I'm heading down to eat, want to come with me?"

"Ah, um, yeah sure," Evergreen readjusted her glasses and tried to tame her tousled hair.

"You look fine greenie." He actually meant it too. She had wandered off to bed by herself after Cobra had left early, her intentions for seducing the man gone to shit. He knew she hadn't had sex in a while, could smell no other scent on her body, but the smell of her slight arousal had him closing his eye to try and not screw this up right away. Baby steps, even if his dragon couldn't agree.

"Need some nightshade in your coffee?" Evergreen asked as they approached the bar, she went behind it and fetched him the concoction. "I've been working back here from time to time for extra jewel, plus it's a great way to meet people."

"Damn Ever. This is some tasty coffee and the nightshade is a great touch." He watched her blush again, enjoying the fact it was him who brought this side out of her. Now if only her face was flushed with desire as he pounded his cock into her tight pussy. His pants were a little too tight thanks to his minor trip down pervy lane.

"Thanks. They have an oleander scrambled egg special if you're interested."

"Damn woman. You know the way to my heart is to poison it." Evergreen laughed as she put the order into the kitchen, followed by her own orange juice and brown toast. "You know after my ranking battle and once we've taken down the bastard who hurt shadow shit would you like to go on a . . . date?" Evergreen almost dropped the glass of orange juice she was holding but managed to curve her surprise.

"I would really enjoy that."

"Morning Medusa. Sup poison breath?"

"Bickslow! Can you not be such a dick so early in the morning?"

"Where's the fun in that Ever?" the seith mage waggled his eyebrows playfully. Evergreen huffed as she turned to bend over to grab some raspberry jam from the cooler under the bar. Cobra watched as her skirt hugged her ass but not enough to see what kind of underwear was under that tight green number. "Cobra you should stop drooling over my teammate." He swiped at Bickslow who ducked and avoided being hit. "Your battle with Emzadi isn't going to be easy. She can literally burn anything with the heat of the sun, including your poisons."

"I know. She also has a mindbender mage as an older brother so she'll be well prepared that way."

"Maybe not," Evergreen said as she took a bite of her toast. "She knows you're a poison dragon slayer who can hear thoughts, but does she understand it's not thoughts you hear but souls? Plus she hasn't fought Bix in a long ass time so she's probably a bit rusty when it comes to soul magic. You'll just need to keep her on her toes and surprise her somehow. Anyways I'm going to get ready before the match. Good luck Cobra." Evergreen kissed him on the cheek before skipping out of the guild hall.

"I'm not sure who has it worse. You or her."

"Shut the fuck up Bickslow!"

* * *

Cobra entered the training grounds, slightly nervous over the fact that so many people were already here to witness the fight. He honestly didn't think that he was going to win but he wasn't going down without giving it his all. Lucy was sitting beside Evergreen and Wendy, all three women smiled and waved at him. The rest of the Thunder Legion was sitting behind the three of them as well as Vander and Xally. He could hear the curiosity from everyone's souls as one of the newest dragon slayers to join the guild, they wanted to see what he was capable of.

"You ready to face my fire, poison boy?" A busty blonde entered the arena, hips swaying. "This will not be an easy battle." Cobra stayed quiet as he assessed the situation. Runes flared to life around the battlefield protecting the viewers from poison and heat. Knowing he'd have to go all out and at least he couldn't hurt anyone. He heard Master Kaleb utter some words to the crowd and then a gong sound as Emzadi immediately attacked Cobra with blaring hot fists. Cobra dodged and sent a poison dragon roar her way, she ignited it with her fire and dispersed it.

Well shit. He wasn't expecting that to happen with his poison against her flames, however, it did give him an idea. They traded blows between wicked fast punches and kicks, with his soul reading magic he was able to stay a step ahead of her. Emzadi was wicked strong and fast with years of training from being a White Sea mage plus everything she had learned from Nurem. She wasn't without her skeletons though, none of them really were. "How does it feel to go up against someone who can see inside you?"

"Pft. Your magic is nothing compared to my brothers. You're not even trying to cripple me from the inside, you mustn't be that strong on a mind reader." Emzadi sent a powerful solar dragon roar his way, barely missing it. His jacket was burning as he threw it down to the ground, thankfully the undershirt and pants he had on was from Elluris and was able to withstand her heat. A brilliant idea that was given to him from Freed last night when he was a tad intoxicated and happily sitting in Farron's lap.

Cobra started running around the grounds evading attacks, but never actually launching one himself, luring the blonde into a false sense of security. He was leaking poison from his feet, creating an intricate design that he'd be able to set off a series of attacks. Was it going to be enough to stop the blonde? Who fuckin knows but this would be fun either way. Destruction and mayhem were things he had always excelled at. He continued to draws lines in the ground tossing a poison fist and roar into the mix to change it up some, didn't need to catch on to his brilliant plan. A punch caught him in the face sending him flying into the barrier.

"Cobra!" He heard Evergreen yell his name and once his vision stopped swimming in his only good eye he saw her. Concerned eyes watering as Lucy tried to comfort her. Well, damn it all if that wasn't the sweetest fucking thing he'd ever seen. Mavis, when did he become such a sap when it came to Lucy and Evergreen. Time to kick his plan into high gear.

"You're pretty good at evading my attacks. Balls haven't dropped enough to fight me like a man?" Emzadi teased, hand on her hip with one hand brushing her hair over her shoulder.

"I think you're boobs are cutting the oxygen supply off to your brain. I'm every bit a man that you'll never get to try out." Cobra ran towards the solar dragon slayer, starting to activate some of his poison traps in the ground. Emzadi was flipping away from one explosion when another caught her side, throwing her to the ground as she groaned in pain.

"That wasn't bad twinkle toes," Emzadi dusted herself off. Cobra set off another couple poison flares close to Emzadi, so she had to cover her mouth and flee the area. It was becoming incredibly toxic with all the fumes out and about, her vision was blurring as she tried to wipe the haziness out. Time to set the poison on fire and watch him squirm for a little while. She sparked her fist, not expecting to be flown back into the barrier. "What the hell was that?"

"Easy there darlin'," Cobra smirked at the blonde on the ground. "Wouldn't want you to break a nail now."

"That's it!" Emzadi's entire body became encased in flames. "You're going to be flambeed now you snake."

"Flattery will get you everywhere!" Emzadi continued to fall into his well laid out plan. If there was one thing that he was well aware of is how to piss off someone who is a hothead. Thank you Natsu! "If you're lucky you'll hear all about what my snake can do, sugar tits."

"Sugar. Tits. Why you," Emzadi came at Cobra fast and hard, the soul reader a step ahead of her at every turn. "How can you hear my thoughts! My barrier is strong enough to keep Kaleb out for several minutes. I should have no issues against you."

"Awe pumpkin." Cobra sent a poison dragon roar her way which she sidestepped and placed her exactly where he was hoping she'd land. 

"You're so going down!" Her entire body became encased in golden flames of the sun as she stepped onto one of Cobra's poison lines in the sand. The entire area blew up with savage fumes, Cobra eating them all up since they were different than what he had originally laid. Emzadi was out for the count but Cobra's hands were slightly burnt from the heat.

"We're dissipating everything within the rune barrier before stepping in," Kaleb's voice sounded from somewhere. Once the runes were down Cristoff and Xally were in the arena, with Xally healing Cobra's hands and Cristoff checking in on his sister. "We're awarding Cobra Double S ranking with an immediate track into Century Class. I suggest everyone get some food before the third ranking will take place later this afternoon." 

"You were amazing Cobra," Evergreen whispered to him. "How about I treat you to lunch?"

"Sounds good fairy queen." The two walked out of the room, Lucy with a smile on her face. Now she just had to figure out what to do with her own man situation. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	20. Chapter 20

Lucy was sitting at a table by herself, wanting to order food for lunch but too nervous to eat. Her battle with Kaleb was in one short hour and after seeing Cobra beat Emzadi it was hard to see her coming anywhere near competing with the Master of White Sea. Immaculate Light wielder and a Wizard Saint against her caster magic . . . yea who was she kidding. She nibbled on a luscious strawberry, while she was drawing invisible lines on the table with her finger. She was trying to figure out a plan that would work against someone who can literally see everything you think. She groaned to herself, head sliding onto the table in defeat.

"You alright there Blondie?"

"Laxus!" Lucy sat straight, almost giving herself whiplash. "Yea I'm fine. Hundred percent a-ok!"

"You're an awful fuckin liar," Laxus said as he sat down beside her. "What's got you groaning and looking like your favourite spirit was stolen?" Lucy was quiet for a while, debating whether she should tell the lightning slayer, or what he might think of her.

"Do you have any idea how intimidating it is knowing you're going up against THE strongest mage in Bosco? He'd like a fucking God and could literally take me down in one fell swoop. I can't shut my brain off like Natsu did with Cobra and there's no way in hell I can win in a battle of strengths. I am going to score horribly and be the laughing stock of the magical world, again!" She was beat red at the end of her rant, embarrassed for her sudden word vomit that had happened. Wasn't her plan it just happened! He probably thought she was a complete idiot now.

"Firstly, what do you mean again? Secondly, if you weren't nervous then I'd be concerned," Laxus said, as Lucy looked at the blonde out of the corner of her. Her big mouth may get her into trouble one day yet.

"After the Grand Magic Games, and my more than epic failure in both my matches, the rumours spread. How did she get into Fairy Tail? Why is she part of Team Natsu? Why was she chosen for the games? So many others reached me as well, so I began to doubt myself. Let my team handle things and I would be there for support when needed. What use is a damsel during a battle?" Lucy said the last part sarcastically and with an eye roll. She'd been ridiculed by her father for not being the best woman to be wed off, then she was the laughing stock of the guild. She couldn't handle being made fun, not at her new guild.

Laxus recognized the look of self-doubt when he saw it, experienced his fair share as well. How the hell was he supposed to pull Blondie out of this slump before her fight? He honestly didn't know much about her or her magic, was trying to work his way up to it and now he needed something and fast. She wasn't crying, so that was a bonus. He probably wouldn't have come near her if that was the case. He had a soft spot for tears and if she never found that out life would be good. "Do your spirits have any powers against mind readers? I know they each have a skill so would they be able to help?"

"Laxus! You brilliant, brilliant man!" Laxus jumped from her spot, kissed Laxus on the lips and then scampered out of the room. Laxus sat there blinking, a flush adorning his cheeks while his dragon hummed in delight at getting a small piece of their mate's attention. After Lucy's ranking, Laxus had to ask her out on a date or cough up five hundred jewel to Vander. Sneaky shit lured him into a drinking game the previous night and on his pride was now at stake, so he'd be damned in he wimped out. Plus it would be with his mate so it's not like it would be awful, he hoped.

Lucy stood in the women's changeroom with Wendy and Juvia, both trying to help calm her nerves. She smiled patiently at them but honestly just wanted a minute to herself and kindly asked them to leave. They wished her luck and headed to the stands where they would be watching with the others. Cristoff, Emzadi, and Thane would be judging her while she fought Kaleb, being under such scrutiny made her stomach roll. She brushed her hand over her keys one last time, going over the plan with them and ensuring they were alright with it. This would be her one shot to make a real impression on her guild, family, and crush - she was damn well going to make it count.

The training grounds were completely full for this battle, most were excited to see their guild master in action. There were rumblings about how they would be able to see their master use his light magic instead of his terrifying mindbending abilities. They were even broadcasting this fight to the other branches of Bosco so they could all bear witness as well. The hum of eager mages filled the air as Laxus sat down with the rest of his team, Juvia, Wendy, and the Pradesh siblings. Even Arman had made time to venture to the guild to see how this would all play out. Arman knew the strengths of all of his children, raising and guiding them as they grew, but Lucy was a wild card. She was as beautiful as she was brilliant, he was very much looking forward to seeing how Kaleb handled this as well as Laxus. The lightning slayer was putting on a brave front, but underneath the I-don't-give-a-shit attitude and the white knuckles, they would be hard pressed to keep him contained once the barriers were down.

"Mages of White Sea," Thane began to call to the crowd, everyone went quiet within moments. "Today our Master will be facing off against a celestial mage new to our guild. Normally we wouldn't let everyone in to view such an event, nor does the Master tend to rank our members himself, but as you are all aware Miss Heartfilia interrupted his training one morning and he has wanted a rematch ever since. Without further ado, Master Kaleb Pradesh." A round of cheers and clapping filled the arena. "And his opponent for the evening, Miss Lucy Heartfilia."

Lucy walked out into the arena, eyes on Kaleb who was smiling at her. She had been able to block him out briefly before, but that was before she knew just how powerful his magic abilities were. He'd easily be able to shatter her measly defences with a single blink, but she knew he wouldn't cause her bodily harm. She needed to stay conscious enough not to make a fool of herself and hopefully, her plan would be that successful. At least the crowd would be moderately entertained no matter what happened here today. Plue flashed into the arena running up to Kaleb, kicking him in the shin while nattering at the Master.

"Plue. That's quite enough of that foul language. I will have Virgo restrict your time from them if you continue," Lucy had her hands on her hips while tapping her foot in annoyance with her small spirit.

"Pun pun. Pun pun pun!"

"Enough Plue. Please go back," Lucy said with a strict face yet kind smile. The small white spirit walked back to her, hugging her legs before leaving in a shower of gold dust. "Sorry about that Master. He can get a bit defensive with me, even though he cannot do much."

"The kick didn't hurt and I am afraid that I don't know what he was saying. Should I be offended?"

"He threatened you. Stated he'd shove an icicle up your ass if you hurt me. I don't know where he'd find an icicle though, but maybe that is something you'd enjoy?"

"I am Boscan and willing to try anything at least once, but I an icicle is something new. Care to share the experience with me?" Laxus jumped up in his seat and was about to storm down there and beat the mage with his fists himself. Bickslow, Vander, and Zen had to pull the large man back into her chair until he was calmer than before.

"There will be a shit tonne of this throughout this fight," Bickslow whispered to Vander, who was all too happy with the idea of restraining the man. It would add more wood to the fire that he was building, the bonfire he was building would be amazing once it was ablaze. Oh, the fun he was having poking the bear and the fun he would have such glee rubbing his scent on Lucy and drawing the man's ire his way. Bickslow said being hit by his lightning wasn't fun, but he had yet to be hit and was cocky enough to believe he never would be. "Van stop with the plotting face. They're about to start." 

Lucy summoned Aries to the field as Kaleb charged at the two of them, targetting Lucy trying to bring her down hard and fast. Aries wool bombs cushioned Kaleb's powerful blows, he kicked her legs out as she fell into a hole of Virgo's making hearing Kaleb curse. Lucy called Aries back and sent Virgo out to throw some fists at the platinum blonde man. She peeked her head above the lip of the hole to see Kaleb and Virgo at a standstill, a wicked smile on her lips. She star dressed into her Virgo outfit and popped up directly behind Kaleb landing a solid kick to the back of his knees before both ladies went back underground. They appeared several feet away from Kaleb who was righting himself.

"Haven't had someone hit me like that in a while. I didn't hear you amongst the dirt but I won't make that mistake again," Kaleb sent a beam of light from his hands towards the blonde who went back underground to avoid being hit. She couldn't hide in the ground forever but just needed to prove her theory before she enacted the plan. She sent Virgo back and reappeared in front of Kaleb who blocked her punch and sent one of his own to her stomach, she swiped it to the side and brought a knee to his stomach connecting and send Kaleb back a couple feet. It worked! Holy flying fuck it worked!

"What . . . what is going on?" Xally whispered to her father, the arena quiet. "How is she landing attacks against Kaleb?" 

"It seems that Miss Heatfilia is ever as clever as I thought she was. Perhaps you should as Laxus what's going on," the elder man looked to the blonde, followed by every other head swivelling his way. "What the hell? I don't know anything about this shit. We talked at lunch when I mentioned that her spirits . . . Well fuck."

"Exactly my dear boy. Now you understand the brilliance of your mate." Arman smiled as he looked back to the battlefield where Kaleb was sending several beams of light at Lucy who was aptly dodging them all. "You should share with the class Laxus, it's only polite." 

"Kaleb can't hear Lucy's spirits so when she borrows their powers for star dress she borrows the ability for Kaleb to not hear her." It was utterly brilliant of the petite woman. "I don't understand why he can't hear them though. They are living beings."

"Living beings with contracts to one key holder. It would betray all they hold dear if they were unable to hear the thoughts of their master," Arman simply explained. He had been friends with Dean of Academe Celestine for a very long time, plus his late wife dabbled in celestial magic. "Not to mention they are not human but spirits and live in a plain where time flows differently. Kaleb cannot hear animals though so it stands to reason that even his magical abilities are not as all-encompassing as people have made him out to be." 

"Capricorn. Taurus. Leo." The three spirits made their way to the stage, with Lucy behind them. Kaleb would be hard pressed to keep up with her top three fighters while she geared up for Urano Metria with Gemi and Mini underground. "Are you two ready for this?" "Piri Piri." "Let's do this!" Lucy headed back up in her Sagittarius star form, sending a barrage of arrows at the guild master. 

"Light Bullet Projection!" Kaleb yelled as he summoned small spears of light to counteract the arrows Lucy had launched at him. "Sword Beam Emission." A while light sword formed in his hand as he formed an arc over his head, the crescent shot towards the three spirits. Capricorn jumped out of the way, Loke scooped up Lucy to avoid being hit and Taurus took the brunt of the attack, being sent back to the spiritual world. Kaleb had Lucy running now and he wasn't about to let up. "Light Bomb Generation." Glowing orbs appeared sporadically on the ground as looking like mines but had a timer on them for three seconds. Explosions were happening all over the arena, Capricorn was hit hard and left the field of battle. Leo threw Lucy from him as he was also sent to back after being hit from several close explosions. The blonde rolled on the ground several times but thankfully the bombs seemed to have dispersed. 

"Lucy," Laxus stood up, lightning arcing off his tense shoulders. He didn't like where this was going, didn't like how his dragon was raging inside of him. Wanting to save her, but logically knowing that she needed to do this. He walked down to the lower viewing area, hands gripping the banister with his claws digging into the wood. He wanted to go and fight for her but knew he'd get a Lucy kick to the head if he impeded. Still didn't sit right with him but his potential mate was independent as fuck.  

_ Survey the Heavens, Open the Heavens... _

_ All the stars, far and wide... _

_ Show me thy appearance... _

_ With such shine. _

_ Oh Tetrabiblos...  _

_ I am the ruler of the stars... _

_ Aspect become complete... _

_ Open thy malevolent gate. _

_ Oh 88 Stars of the heaven...  _

_ Shine! _

**_ Urano Metria!  _ **

The grounds were covered in the mystical blues and purples of the galaxies while eighty-eight multi-coloured orbs filled the skies. A second Lucy stood behind Kaleb, in her regular clothes, with a magic circle under her feet and eyes glowing gold. The attack hit, rocking the entire arena with its power as everyone sat in awe. Kaleb lay on his stomach several yards from where he originally stood, he groaned as he attempted to get up. That attack had come out of nowhere and had hit him like a damn freight train. He was able to stand and see Lucy heaving heavily behind him, sweat dripping down her face. She stood straight and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. Obviously not an easy spell to pull off, plus she had three spirits out right before that would have drained her magic containers. 

"Do you give?" A knife was pointed at his throat, so he turned to look to see Juvia standing behind him now. He elbowed the mage, grabbed her wrist and threw her over his shoulder before using the knife against her. Juvia popped into two small spirits who went back home, so he looked up to see Lucy's foot lit up and aiming for his head. He rolled to the side, flipped and wrapped his hand around Lucy's throat before tossing her to the ground. He jumped on her, pinning her hands and feet with his own. 

"Do you give?" Kaleb asked Lucy, who was trying to wrench her way out of his grasp with no success. He magic was almost depleted so in the interest of not causing herself bodily harm so conceded the fight. Kaleb released her falling onto ass, happy to be done with this battle and ecstatic with how it played out. He relayed his thoughts to Cristoff, Thane, and Emzadi to take into account their decision. "That was well done Lucy. I think the crowd is awestruck right now since there aren't too many thoughts going on in their heads." Lucy looked around from her point on the ground, her eyes landed on Laxus. His storm-colored eyes were boring into her own, lightning was still flickering off his form and their friends and family had backed away from him.

"Laxus," Lucy uttered as her eyes began to flit shut. The barrier fell and Laxus was down there in a heartbeat, Lucy resting comfortably in his arms. "I knew you'd come for me." 

"I always will Lucy. You have my word." Laxus kissed her cheek as she fell asleep with a smile on her face. "Cristoff!"

"I'm on it Laxus. Her wounds aren't too severe but her magic is low," the lunar mage stated as his hands glowed with his healing powers. "She'll sleep until tomorrow so you're date will have to wait." Laxus rolled his eyes at the slight jab. "Take her to her room to rest Laxus. I'm sure she'll want to hear from you that she is making Double S Class with a fast track onto Century mage with Cobra." Laxus carried the blonde to her room, taking his sweet ass time since he was revelling in holding her in his arms. Once he reached the room he placed her in the bed and covered her with the blanket, his desire to lay beside her was overwhelming so he caved to his whims. He promised himself he'd only be there for an hour or two, just enough to calm his dragon and soothe his own nerves. 


	21. Chapter 21

Juvia was sitting on the edge of the fountain in the garden of the Pradesh estate, bare feet swishing back and forth in the cool waters. The crescent moon was high in the night sky, a warm gentle breeze blowing in off the Grass Sea. Loons were cooing off in the distance with crickets and frogs acting as the background music to the bird's calls. The guild was partying for Lucy tonight, even though the celestial mage was still sleeping after wearing herself out. Not that Juvia could blame Lucy, she had slept for a really long time after her battle too. Laxus had joined his team for a drink around eleven or so and headed back, to what she assumed was Lucy, right around midnight which was when she had also made her escape. Vander had been whirling her around on the dance floor when he wasn't on stage singing with Cristoff who had all but stopped her beating heart.

The lunar dragon slayer had pulled his hair off his broad shoulders when he was pulled onstage. His black sleeveless shirt showed his years of training in the gym and stopped just shy of his pants, showing off his v-lines. Juvia wondered what it would have been like to lick them, before shaking her head of such thoughts. He was currently rolling his hips in time with the beat, the white leather pants clinging tightly to his taut ass. That was the moment Juvia had decided to get some air before she melted and she really didn't want to do that in front of her new guild. So here she was under the serenity of the night sky playing in the water.

Gray and Juvia had left after Tartaros, finding an abandoned town to live in together. They were roommates that were spending all of their time together, well for the first month anyway. Gray had started to leave for days at a time, then weeks, before he would return wanting to get laid. Juvia knew their relationship wasn't healthy, but she had wanted it for so long that she figured that it would be fine. Then he was gone for six long weeks and found out she was pregnant, which she had been elated about. Gray was furious though, calling her all sorts of names and telling her to just leave and never return. Juvia took his words to heart and left, wandering around for a while before running into Gajeel who had set her upon this mission. While she was chasing a bandit one evening she had fallen down a steep ravine, losing the baby that she was carrying. She'd pushed all feelings to the side after she was healed and continued on her way until Lucy found her and she started to revert to her normal self. Wasn't until she had actually told Lucy what had happened had she begun to heal though. "Maybe Juvia really is unlovable?"

"Bull shit!" Juvia spun her head around to see Cristoff standing a few feet behind her. Her blue eyes widened realizing she had been caught talking to herself. "I don't know what man has put such garbage in that brilliant mind of yours Juvia, but I'm calling complete bull shit."

"Cristoff doesn't know Juvia well enough to make a decision. Juvia doesn't think Juvia is loveable, not at all." Cristoff sat down next to her so that his back was facing the fountain, eyes focused on the moon.

"Why are you thinking such absurd things?"

"Juvia was reminiscing on Juvia's time before Lucy found Juvia and she started healing."

"Will you share your thought with me, Juvia?" Cristoff was more than curious to know who had caused the perky bluenette to doubt herself so much. She had been flitting about the women when they were rescued, ensuring they were well cared for. She was also helping Wendy adjust to life in the guild, Lucy not far away from either on the two ladies. You could tell there was a deep pain within her though, something she was struggling to deal with, and maybe he could help bring the smile to her face again?

"Juvia loved a man that was in Fairy Tail and had followed his after Tartaros. He began to act weird but Juvia figured it was how he was dealing with his own grief after the battle. Juvia was pregnant and told the man, who was unnaturally cruel to Juvia and told Juvia that he didn't want the baby and that Juvia was to leave, so Juvia did. Juvia fell really badly and lost the child Juvia was carrying," the water mage sniffled a little and wiped a stray tear away. "Juvia couldn't keep her love with her and then Juvia lost her baby, so there must be a reason Juvia can't be loved by anyone."

"I can't pretend to know what was going through that man's head but I will hurt him for putting you through all this pain. You didn't create the baby on your own, Juvia and he should have been man enough to help you too," Cristoff took a deep breath to calm himself, and his dragon. He caressed Juvia's pale cheek with his large, rough hand before continuing on with a kind smile. "I can't even begin to understand how you must feel after losing your child Juvia and I am so sorry for your loss. I am hoping you will let me check you over to ensure that you are alright and there is nothing lingering that shouldn't be." She simply nodded her head at the dark-haired man, so he lowered his hand from her cheek, down her arm and across her abdomen while keeping eye contact with her. His hand glowed a soft white as he checked her ovaries and uterus, noticing that there was nothing wrong he pulled his magic back but kept his hand on her stomach.

"Juvia would like to thank Cristoff for his help," she whispered as she leaned closer to the tall man. Cristoff sits frozen, from both anticipation and excitement as she leaned in, so her foreheads rested against his. Their eyes close, both their breaths are shaking as Juvia gently leans in and kisses Cristoff's soft, warms lips. They pull apart after a moment, drawing shaky, shallow breaths. Unable to contain himself anymore, Cristoff holds Juvia's head in his hands and pulls her into a passionate kiss. Her hands worked their way up to his neck from where they were resting on his sculpted pecs, feeling each crevasse, each line along his perfect male physique. Before it went any further Juvia gently pulled away from Cristoff, cheeks rosy from their make-out session. "Goodnight Cristoff."

Juvia swung her feet out of the fountain and walked back into the guild, Cristoff watching her as she left. "Goodnight sweet Juvia," he said loud enough that she paused before continuing on inside. Cristoff groaned as his stood and readjusted himself, sighing, shoulders sagging slightly. "You had to pick someone who needs fixing as our mate, didn't you?" He spoke to no-one in particular but his dragon was chuckling at him. Cristoff enjoyed a challenge and now that his mate was identified he would spend as much time getting to know her while helping her heal, no matter how long it took.

* * *

 

Lucy woke up feeling extremely warm and safe, safer than she had ever felt while sleeping next to Natsu. It felt like home and she was relishing in how comfortable that felt, plus it smelt like a summer rain in her room. She cracked an eye to see if she had left a window open to find a curtain of blonde hair in her face. Opening both eyes and sitting up slightly, she stared open-mouthed over the fact that Laxus was sleeping with her, in her bed. What was he doing here? Had they done anything? She flipped the covers off her body only to find herself in a tank top and sleep shorts, flushing red and wondering who the hell had changed her.

She felt the bed shift as Laxus rolled closer to her form, throwing an arm around her waist and nuzzling into her hair. He purred as his nose pushed the hair away from her neck, taking a deep inhale and finally relaxing again. Luzy was frozen in her bed. Mind racing a million miles an hour trying to filter through everything that she knew about dragon slayers, which turns out isn't a hell of a lot. No-one in their guild had taken a mate, hell none of them had even dated just fucked when they felt the need, including Natsu on occasion.

"Mhmm, mate," Laxus whispered, completely out of it still. Lucy's heart was hammering in her chest as she stared at the ceiling that seemed to be closing in on her. The room was getting really small and she was having a hard time breathing, she needed open spaces. Right now! She carefully left the tender embrace of the lightning slayer, grabbed a thin robe and dashed like a mad woman out of her room. She ran downstairs, seeing everyone sitting at the dining room table laughing and they all paused briefly to wave her in. Lucy shook her head and backed up several steps before bolting, her only thought was escaping, needed to get away from the confines of the house.

Someone grabbed her shoulder and she shrieked, her automatic reaction was kicking the perpetrator somewhere solid. Lucy heard a groan, looking over her shoulder to see a stranger laying on the ground. "Shit! I am so incredibly sorry." She kneeled down next to the silver-haired man, rolling him onto his back so that he could breathe easier from the kick she landed to his ribs. "Are you alright?"

"Damn girl, that was solid. You looked to be hyperventilating in the streets and wanted to make sure you were ok," the grey-eyed man replied taking a couple of deep breaths before sitting upright. "I assure you that I will be just fine in a couple of minutes. Are you alright?"

"Me? Ah yea, well I will be?"

"You don't sound too sure."

"I found something out that has thrown me for quite a loop is all. Sorta freaked and ran," Lucy laughed nervously as she stood, looking down and realizing she was running through the streets in Pelerno in her robe and bare feet.

"Can I help you get to where you need to be? Or will a search party be coming for you?"

"I just need to head back to the guild. I'm sure they'll keep the dogs in for a little while longer."

"You're a mage?"

"Yea. Just recently inducted into White Sea," Lucy proudly flashed her guild symbol to the man. "Sorry, where are my manners. I'm Lucy."

"Hestor," he politely smiled at her, which turned her insides and not in a good way. "This . . . this is just too perfect." He grabbed hold of her wrist and they disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. Hestor and an unconscious Lucy landed in an abandoned warehouse on the other side of town thanks to a teleportation lacrima. "Who would have thought that I would land the same no-talent woman that was with that sneaky shadow shit, Vander. You, my dear, are going to make for a very nice pawn in my game of chess." He gently laid her on the cold tile floor before calling for Jasper.

"You called Master?"

"Can you put her under your hypnosis magic? She'd our key to getting into the guild today and seeking out retribution on the guild."

"Of course, Master. It won't take more than a second." Japer's magic gathered in his hands and began to glow an unnaturally dark green.

"Jasper," Hestor's smirk took over his entire face. "I want you to implant your magic through her lips."

"That would mean it needs to be activated this way as well, Master."

"I know and that's the best part!" Jasper did as Hestor wanted, kissing the blonde while pushing his magic throughout her mind and body. She wouldn't recall the last five minutes, but he would be able to control everything she did once he kissed her to activate the spell when his master wanted it. "It's done, Master."

"Take her back to where I was last at. Pretend to be the man that she kicked in the ribs and assist her back to the guild. Tanin has supplied you with a fake guild mark and beads to keep Kaleb out of your head," he grasped the man's upper arm and pulled him in close. "Don't fuck this up for me Jasper." The mage nodded before breaking the lacrima to transport them back to the side street. He heard Hestor cackle as he disappeared. Jasper lay on the ground, pretending to be in pain as Lucy came back to her senses.

"Oh, my Mavis! I'm so sorry, here let me help you up," Lucy helped the man to his feet dusting him off. "Did I hurt you badly?"

"No Lucy. I am perfectly fine," he said with a smile.

"Do I know you?"

"No, but I watched her match with Master Kaleb yesterday and you were amazing!" Lucy blushed from the praise the man was giving her. "I'm Jasper a hypnotic mage at the guild."

"It's nice to meet you, Jasper. Don't suppose you can help me find my way back? My friend Wendy will be taking her ranking test shortly and I would like to be there to cheer her on." The dark orange-haired man offered his arm to Lucy, who giggled before accepting. The amicably talked about nothing in particular as they walked back to the guild. "I need to change before I head out. Will I see you at the match?"

"You most certainly will Lucy."

"Great. Thanks again!" Lucy ran to her room, called Virgo and Cancer out to help her get ready, said a quick thank you and goodbye before running down to the training grounds. The stands weren't as filled as her fight but there were still a few people interested in seeing what the young dragon slayer from Fiore could do. Juvia and Evergreen waved her over, happy to see that she had made it in time. Emzadi, Kaleb, and Thane would do the evaluating for this match, but the other Pradesh siblings and Cobra weren't here yet. Bickslow was chatting with Freed and Laxus over how long they thought the match would take, betting amongst themselves. Lucy wanted to look back to Laxus but couldn't force herself to do it, not knowing what she knew now.

"Good morning everyone," Kaleb's voice sounded over the speakers. "This will be our last ranking match for a while and will be with our esteemed second in command, Cristoff Pradesh, and the young sky dragon slayer from Fiore." Cheers erupted as everyone took their places in the training arena, a purple barrier protecting the onlookers from the attacks that were sure to fly.

"Good luck, Wendy!" Lucy shouted to the younger woman whose smiled widened at realizing her sister was here to watch her. Wendy had been a nervous wreck all morning, even though Carla had woken up and tried reassuring her that she'd be fine. She was going up against an extremely power slayer who's healing powers eclipsed hers on all fronts. She had gone up against enemies before, had been defeated and succeeded but this was different. It wasn't life or death here but she still needed to give it her all. Wendy's long dark blue hair was done in two french braids that would be kept out of her face, a suggestion from Evergreen who had braided her hair for her earlier. She was wearing a pair of black leggings and a sleeveless tank top that was cut low that was showing the small amount of cleavage she had, and black running shoes.

Wendy took a deep breath right before the bell sounded, both slayers launched at one another fists at the ready. Neither landed their punch, Wendy had rolled mid-air to dodge Cristoff landing in the dirt as she skidded back a short way. Wendy blew a couple jets of concentrated air at Cristoff, wanted to see if he's dodge or deflect the attacks. They were fairly fast in succession but Cristoff sliced through the first one and dodged the second two, so he was powerful enough to negate some of her attacks and quick enough to dodge several at once. It was to be expected of the lunar dragon slayer, brother of the guild master.

Cristoff sent a decently powerful dragon roar Wendy's way, she just smirked and tightly wrapped the air around her in hurricane speeds that nullified his roar. She was surprised to see he was testing her powers out too since she figured he already had a relatively good idea where her power sat. "Sky Dragon Wing Attack." Wendy expelled a whirlwind of air from her arms to attack her surroundings, seeing how fast Cristoff could dodge the wicked slices of air magic she sent off. He countered by slashing his hands in a downward motion sending moon white light out, the two attacks met creating a small explosion. He surprised Wendy by coming in fast with a variety of punches and kicks, landing the last kick on her person and pushing her into the barrier.

"Sky Dragon Roar!" She yelled the minute she stood up, the gale force wind funnel hit Cristoff in the chest and nailed him to the ground with a thud. Cristoff was on his feet fast, "Lunar Dragon Claw of Light." The nail of each finger was glowing as he formed an X in front of his body before pushing his arms outwards sending ten razor-sharp blades directly at her. One clipped her exposed upper arm and a second caught her thigh but she didn't go down, well not until Cristoff punched her in the face and sent her spiralling into the ground. Now, now she was pissed.

"Dragon Force!" Wendy's light brown eyes turned pink, along with her hair which was now wavy and pointing upwards slightly, having been loosened from the braids during the battle. White scales, similar to that of Grandine's, sprung out of her back with smaller ones on her hands and feet. She saw Cristoff's eyes widen as she entered the next level of her dragon mode. Wendy posed herself as if she was about to start a race, gathering wind beneath the balls of her feet before pushing off at lightning speeds. She managed to catch the lunar slayer off guard as she landed several punches to his person before hovering in the air by using small air bubbles under her feet. She was inspired by how Bickslow flew around on the babies so after a lot of practice she was able to keep this up for a while, but it was made easier while in dragon force.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art - Shattering Light: Sky Drill!" Wendy formed a fast wind barrier with her arms spread out and moved them in a counter-clockwise direction, causing the barrier to contract inwards towards her opponent in a cylinder of racing winds. "Fuck!" Cristoff had nowhere to go to escape an attack of this magnitude so he covered himself in rays of moonlight to block some damage that he would endure. The crowd was quiet as they waited with baited breath to see where the two mages stood in the arena. Cristoff's shirt and pants were torn in many spots and he was panting slightly from exerting that much magic to protect himself, not expecting that much power to come from Wendy. It was clear to see that she was pretty much done, sitting on her knees in the sand breathing heavily. He moon jumped to right in front of her and she waved her imaginary white flag, she was out of magic and incredibly tired.

"Damn little blue!" Vander scooped the small bluenette into his arms so he could take her to Xally for healing. "I knew you had fangs but who the hell knew you had so much bite as well." Wendy laughed at Vander, perfectly content with being looked after. "Kaleb is awarding you S Class little blue. You should probably get your ass to Xally too before she has a conniption." Cristoff rolled his eyes and followed his younger brother to the medical center where they were sure to find their sister.

"Wendy was incredible!" Lucy gushed to Juvia and Evergreen as they made their way down to the training grounds so they could exit to the main floor. She was so proud of her little sister and couldn't wait to tell her just that! The rest of the Thunder Legion was walking quietly behind the three women, who were also impressed by how far Wendy had come since she first joined the guild.

"Hey, Lucy!"

"Oh, hey there Jasper. What did you think of the ranking bat . . . " Lucy was cut off by Jasper pressing his lips to her own. Her body felt sluggish, her mind hazy as the world began to disappear before her. She could definitely see what was happening around her but had no control over anything, similar to how she felt when she was being sacrificed to the Infinity Clock. All of this because someone kissed her? She was missing a big piece of the picture.


	22. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, fanfic peeps. I lost my muse and then was ridiculously busy but I'm back and ready to keep going now. Hopefully, I'll be back to my twice a week posting until this fic is completed! This will be a shorter chapter than normal since I am still working this part out. Thanks for the reading and reviewing!

Laxus was seeing red. Red hot rage consumed his entire being as he watched some random punk kiss his mate. What was worse was that Lucy seemed shocked at first and now she was just standing there letting this little pissant do whatever he wanted with her. His fingernails were digging into the palms of his hands from how tight they were fisted, no doubt drawing blood. Lightning crackled around his forms in random bursts that had people moving in a wide arc from the blonde man.

"Chill spark plug," Cobra whispered loud enough for him to hear. "Something isn't right with the way he's eating Tink's face. I can't hear the bubby chiming of her soul. Kaleb around to shed some light?"

"No," Bickslow answered before long, "He went to check on Wendy and Cris in the infirmary but we can easily get his attention."

"I wouldn't do that if I was you."

"Hestor! What the fuck are you doing here? Kaleb exiled you from White Sea," Vander yelled in rage fully knowing that this was the man who had tried to kill him not long ago.

"No warm welcome back Vander? Here I thought you would have me bent over a table already."

"Only in your dreams!"

"Too bad," Hestor shrugged as several black portals opened and in flooded dozens of dark mages. "I will take control of White Sea and then I'll see you on your knees before your superior. Mages, capture and incapacitate. No one is to kill unless it's a last resort."

"HESTOR!"

"Ah, Kaleb. Glad you could make it to the party. If you would kindly hand over the guild then no one will get hurt."

"What the hell are you on? As if he'd hand anything over to the likes of you!" Emzadi was fuming flames engulfed her fists while her eyes burned with an intense desire to maim the man before her.

"But there really isn't anything he can do," Hestor pointedly looked at Kaleb, "Is there." Kaleb tried to read Hestor only to find a solid block in place from his mindbending magic. He tried to infiltrate the minds of anyone who wasn't in the guild and was met with the same sturdy wall. "It's pointless you know. Trying to control me or my mages, not as long as we have our bands securely in place. A nice piece of magic from a mage I picked up in Sin several months ago, can block and all mind magic. Now if you'll excuse me I have a guild to take over." Hestor vanished in a puff of black smoke as he left the group of mages staring at the spot he once stood.

"What the fuck now Kaleb?" Bickslow asked his brother, concern written on the seith's face.

"We defend what is ours!" The command was sent throughout the entire guild and to every available mage within Pelerno. "We take back White Sea no matter the cost!"

"Yo, Master!" Cobra called out to the platinum blonde man, "he might have been able to block his mind with that snazzy bracelet but it doesn't block his soul. Seems he doesn't know about Tink and the rest of the fairies joining the guild yet, or maybe he doesn't think much of us, either way, I know what that asshat is planning."

"Has anyone seen Lucy?" Evergreen asked as she turned a random dark mage to stone. She had been watching her kiss some random man before Hestor arrived and then she was so focused on him that she'd lost sight of the two.

"Don't worry Evergreen," Kaleb said with a grin, "Laxus is tracking her scent and if that man survives his wrath I'll be surprised."

"A hundred jewels says he fries him to a crisp?"

"Not now Vander. Go make sure Cristoff and the others are aware of what's going on." Vander disappeared into the shadows as he headed off to fulfill his task, grabbing several unsuspecting dark mages as he went and tossing them to the void shades. Their screams were music to his ears. He arrived to see Cristoff and Xally defending Wendy who had a rather large cut on her forehead that was bleeding more than he liked. He materialized several knives from the shadows and set about helping defend the sky slayer who was still magically exhausted from earlier.

"These guys aren't even trying that hard," Vander yelled out to the other three mages. "It's like we're just a distraction of some . . . awe shit."

"Van?" Xally questioned as she threw a couple mages out a window with a small tidal wave.

"Hestor has some grand plan in the works that involves Kaleb and he's using Lucy somehow. I haven't seen Stella since micro-dick showed up." 

"Lucy!" Wendy was instantly off the bed and throwing a right hook to the nearest dark mage, who happened to go through the closest wall. 

"Easy little blue, you've got a nasty gash." 

"But they have Lucy! We need to save her!"

"Laxus is on it and we should probably regroup to Kaleb to see what else he's found out about this attack," Cristoff spoke with authority and years of experience. "He probably has an idea as to what's going on by now and if not he has at least three plans he'll want to be set in motion." 

"Are you sure Lucy will be ok?"

"No sweat little blue," Vander slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. "That big oaf may be dense as fuck when it comes to admitting his feelings to his mate but with the dragon driving him to protect her she's never been safer." 

"Speaking of dragons," Wendy eyes Cristoff for a moment before continuing, "How's yours doing right now?" Cristoff eyed the small bluenette warily as her light browns eyes danced with mirth, meaning she knew he'd found his mate too. 

"Annoying but otherwise fine," Cristoff answered the slayer before gathering the three of them together and taking off to Kaleb's office. When the three of them arrived they were all shocked to find Kaleb, sword in hand, battling one of Hestor's spirits. A black energy ball bounced off Kaleb's sword, heading straight to Wendy but Vander pushed the two of them out of the way and out the window as the wall exploded from the attack's impact. Cristoff shielded Xally from the debris as he watched with keen interest when Hestor suddenly stood ramrod straight. A large magical source was coming their way and it didn't bode well for him and his plans, plus all of his teleport mages were currently indisposed so he had no way to escape. Panic started to seep in when he realized the magical signature was more powerful than his own. He turned around to see glowing eyes holding his gaze steadily.

"You will regret all that you have done."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	23. Chapter 23

Laxus was on the hunt for his mate and he wasn't going to stop until he was able to rip each and every limb from that dark mage's body. His dragon wanted blood for taking his mate and he was half inclined to grant him the opportunity. Kaleb would have a field day if he did though, and the paperwork that would follow would have him holed up in the guild for a week. They had decided that maiming was ok, a little blood here or broken bone there was surely alright. Thankfully the man had teleported away because Laxus was following the heavenly scent of strawberries and vanilla, granted it seemed a bit off. He wasn't entirely sure why but as long as she was safe and alive he could figure the rest out later. He was following his nose as he started to weave in and out between buildings and alleys until he came to a warehouse that looked like it should have been bulldozed a century ago. The glass windows were all broken or missing entirely, doors were barely hanging on by the hinges, and most of the wood or siding was falling off and beyond repair. One small spark and the entire building would be up in flames, which brought a small smile to the blonde's face. He'd be taking a page from Natsu's book and torching the place the moment he saved Lucy.

The scent led him to the side of the building where there were no doors or any access points. He thought it was odd that her smell would just disappear at this spot so he did a quick lap around the building and her scent was strongest here. Laxus zapped the building to see a series of red words briefly show themselves. If he was anyone else he might have thought that this was just a trick of the eye but one of his best friends happened to be THE most talented rune mage he'd ever run across. Laxus may not have been as talented as Freed but he was confident that he could crack the code to enter the building. If not he had a com and knew Freed would be here within moments if asked. He really did have an amazing group of friends who were all powerful in their own right and that had taught many lessons and values over the years. Right now he was kicking himself in the ass for talking to Lucy, instead, he hid like a coward behind the walls he'd built up. He promised himself that once this issue was corrected he'd take Lucy on a real date and tell her the truth, then he'd deal with her outburst and decision.

Laxus snorted when he realized that the rune wall was based on magical output, if you were strong you were able to walk on through. This had to be the dumbest damn rune in existence or it was a trap, but he was betting on the first. Laxus let the electric current flow through his body and took several steps into the wall, pleased when we passed through the damned thing without issue. Several scents hit him all at once, almost dropping him to a knee as he swayed a bit. It was almost as if Ichiya was here and spreading his nasty ass parfumes all over the place like a dog marking its territory. He realized he wasn't going to be able to find Lucy's scent so he just started checking random rooms and behind every door. Once he cleared the first level of the warehouse he went straight to the third floor, after all, what kind of bad guy keeps prisoners on the first level, unless there's a dungeon involved.

He kicked in the only door where he could get a small whiff of berries and saw Lucy standing int he middle of the room, alone. Well, this was obviously a trap so he diligently made his way towards the blonde woman whose back was facing him. He placed a hand on her shoulder, wanting to make sure it wasn't a fake and definitely wasn't prepared for the horse kick to his inner thigh. Thank fuck he was so tall or she would have nailed him and he more than likely would have puked from the force. Laxus would definitely have a bruise and knew that Lucy would be upset when she found out that she had caused it. She changed into her Capricorn star dress and was coming at him with all she had, which didn't make a lick of sense. She'd never attack a loved one, not unless it was the absolute last resort.

"What the fuck Blondie?" He dodged a right hook, staying on the offensive. Taurus and Leo appeared next to her, both were wearing pained looks on their faces as they took battle stances. "Loke? What the hell is going on?"

"Princess is being controlled and us by extension," Loke forcibly spat out. "The mage that kissed her is using mind control powers and while she is working on building up her mental defences to block him out it will take a while. He's playing with her." Laxus rolled out of the way of Taurus' axe before jumping away from a Regulas Impact attack. Wasn't this just fucking lovely? He couldn't even beat the fucker who was responsible for this up because he was probably hiding behind another rune barrier, plus he was so distracted by Lucy and her two spirits that he couldn't spare a moment to concentrate. "Sorry." Laxus started to randomly send bolts of lightning to random places within the building, hoping to hit the invisible shield and not harm his comrades.

Laxus grinned the moment his lightning connected with the wall and a small yelp was heard. "Gotcha now you fucker!" Laxus teleported over there and punch through the barrier, hand connecting with a warm solid body. The dark haired man went flying across the room before harshly landing on the concrete floor, Laxus cackled when he heard the poetic crack of bone. "You wanna remove yourself from my mate willingly or shall we have some fun?"

"No more please!" Jasper cried out while holding his broken wrist to his chest. "I was only following Master's orders!"

"The fact that you belong to a dark guild and attacked White Sea is enough for me to electrocute you from the inside out. Now lift your magic!" Laxus left no room for argument as he lifted the man up by the front of his shirt.

"I . . . I have to physically touch her. I can only control or release based on the sense of touch." Laxus lowered the cowering man to his feet before dragging him over to Lucy. Jasper touched her hand, a soft glow of magic pulsed back into him as he recalled it. Lucy blinked a couple of times, took in her surroundings and threw a punch at the man's face. "Fuck! You broke my nose, you dumb bitch!" Jasper was holding his nose with his uninjured hand as blood dripped onto the floor.

"You better be thankful that's all I broke you ungrateful asshat!" Lucy yelled at the man with her fists balled at her side. "I could still see everything you were doing and where you were dragging me off too. You're lucky I don't have Taurus chop off both your hands for feeling me up while we ventured to this piece of shit place. On second thought let me call the Ragging Bull out, I'm sure he'd like to chop something off for making me use my spirits like that!" Jasper fell to the floor, fear paralyzing his body and mind because he knew there was a high chance of that happening.

"Virgo!" The maiden appeared before Lucy, silently waiting for her instructions. "Lock this bastard up until we get back to the guild. Do not heal a single wound he has and no punishment. At least not right now." The low whine that escaped his lips was proof enough that Lucy had put the fear of Mavis into the man. Virgo quickly did her keyholders bidding and left the two blondes alone in the warehouse.

"You good Blondie?" Laxus watched as Lucy took several steps away from him, wrapping her arms around herself and lowering her head so her bangs covered her eyes. It did little to mask the scent of salt from the tears she was shedding. "Lucy?"

"He made me use my spirits on family Laxus. Made me break my word to them, how will they ever forgive me for that? I could lose all my contracts, my credibility as a celestial mage because he was able to get inside of me." Lucy felt extremely vulnerable at that moment, exposing herself to the lightning slayer.

"You and I both know that you were not a willing participant in this. Your heart is too damn big to ever hurt someone you care about. Besides," Laxus placed his fingers under Lucy's chin so that he could look into her eyes, "I know that they will not hold it against you. They love you too much to not know how you truly feel about them. I'm sure a conversation with the lion cub will ease your worries." Lucy laughed at his description of Loke. She walked up to Laxus and gave him a hug in thanks and a chaste kiss on the lips as was the Boscan way of saying thanks. Even with all that knowledge it still didn't stop her from turning red, even if she was pleased with herself at being the one to kiss him first. Even if it was just to say thank you.

"If you're ready I believe we have a guild master that needs to be taken care of, plus I hear he's the mastermind behind what happened to Vander," Laxus' smirk returned full force when he saw the deadly glint in Lucy's chocolate eyes.

"How fast can you get us back Sparky?" Laxus pulled her close to him, not breaking eye contact as their bodies turned into lightning and he transported them to the outside of the guild.

"Glad to see White Sea kicking ass," Laxus looked around to see most of the dark mages being restrained. "I can hear Kaleb up in his office. Want to take a stroll?"

"Abso-fucking-lutely!" A shower of glitter floated around Lucy as she transformed into her Taurus star dress. Her eyes were glowing the colour of gold as her power spiked from her and Leo joining forces. She steadily walked up the stairs towards her waiting target, one that she was going to pummel ten feet into the ground if it was the last thing she ever did. No one used her spirits like that! No one threatened her family! This Master would regret the day they crossed the Light of Fairy Tail. Lucy kicked down Kaleb's office door as she stared down the man who had caused so much pain and heartache.

Nervous grey eyes took in the blonde woman as he realized she was the one with Vander that night. He gulped as she walked right up to him, not knowing what to expect, he certainly didn't think that she'd slap him across the face. The sound resonated within the office walls as Hestor's brain bounced around in his skull from the force. He dared to look at the petite blonde woman before him, instantly regretting it the moment her glare pierced him. Hestor hadn't felt fear like this in a long time, even the blackness of his Key of Ammit were quivering. Her light was so pure and powerful, he was positive he had never seen another celestial mage exude such power in his life.

"You should take this time to confess to all that you have done. Either that or I'll remove that lovely bracelet from your wrist and let Kaleb or Cobra or Bickslow take it from there."

"You can lock me up for being attacking White Sea but that'll be the only thing you get out of me." Hestor summoned a spirit that was as black as deepest parts of hell with a horn on either side of its head, leather-like wings, and pale yellow eyes. It had razor sharp teeth and long pointed nails but was only about three feet tall. Lucy wasn't intimidated by the man or his spirits, she had more reasons to win this fight that he ever would. Lucy changed into her Leo star dress and summoned Gemini to copy her in this form, it would take more magic to maintain but was totally worth it. The leader of the Zodiac was the second summon because the best way she knew to combat dark was with light and three was better than one.

"Last chance," Lucy declared, hoping that he would still say no even with her show of power.

"You've mastered star dress?" Hestor's mouth hung open in awe, not that it would sway his answer but dammit he was impressed. "You should join me. Together we could rule all of Bosco!" Lucy attacked in response to his stupid suggestion, as if she would ever turn into a dark celestial mage. The five of them exchanged blows but it was obvious to the White Sea mages that Lucy was just toying with her mouse before she'd end all of him. "For a blonde, you're actually not too bad. I wonder what else you're skilled in?" Lucy ignored the jibe, she had heard similar comments her entire life and wasn't about to let this idiot get underneath her skin. 

"You know, on the off chance you beat me, you do realize there's like a dozen other people in this room right? You're not going to be getting out of here unscathed either way." Hestor paused for a split second as her words dawned on him, which gave Lucy, Gemini Lucy, and Leo the opening to send three supercharged Regulus Gatling Impact. Hestor's spirit was immediately sent back to its world and Hestor was laying in what used to be the south wall. Lucy pounced on the downed mage and ripped the bracelet from the man's wrist. "Here I thought you would actually be a challenge. Should have known better than to get my hopes up. He's all yours Master Kaleb."

"Princess are you alright?" Lucy turned to Leo and Gemini with a tired smile on her face.

"I'm alright. A little bit tired but now we have something new to work when we all train. You were both amazing, thank you."

"Piri Piri!" The twins headed back to the celestial world, as did Loke but not before placing a kiss to the back of Lucy's hand earning him several growls.

"Stupid fucking cat," Laxus grumbled as Cristoff nodded his head in agreement.

"Rune Knights are filing in and taking away the dark mages we captured," Juvia walked in with a couple minor cuts and bruises. "They would like to talk to someone about what happened so Juvia volunteered to find someone who could assist."

"Vander take this scum to the high-security cell. We will have much to discuss later but for now, I must attend to the Knights. Cristoff can you ensure that everyone is accounted for and that they're all doing fine?" Cristoff turned to head out the door when a slight tug on the bottom of his shirt stopped him.

"Juvia would like to accompany Cristoff if it's not too much of a bother."

"I'd be more than happy to have you help." Juvia's smile lit up the room as the two of them walked out. Lucy had a wide grin on her face as she thought of how cute their babies would be. She was extremely happy for her best friend and kin, you couldn't find two people who loved stronger than the two of them did. They'd throw themselves into this blossoming relationship with both feet. 

"I suppose we should help clean up the mess and maybe start to rebuild with the other mages?" Lucy looked over to Laxus who took a step back to allow her to walk ahead of him. "You alright? You've been awfully quiet since we returned."

"I'm good Blondie. What do you say to supper after we get this place in working order again?"

"You . . . you mean like a date?"

"Yes, exactly like a date." He looked at her from the corner of his eye and congratulated himself on a job well done when he saw the blush dusting the tops of her cheeks. 

"I would enjoy that," Lucy whispered to the slayer as they continued to walk to an area they would be useful in. She still had some reservations about the whole mate thing but no use overanalyzing anything until he actually said something to her face when he was conscious. Lucy would have time to freak out and gush to the girls later, right now they had work to do. She called Taurus out to help move some of the larger items as they set to work. The sooner they finished the sooner she could go on a date with Laxus Dreyar.


	24. Chapter 24

Wendy was sitting at the picturesque pond at the back of the Pradesh home. The gentle flow of the water trickling in the fountain and the birds chirping had put her mind at ease. She'd felt restless since Lucy had slammed the door open to her room, startling the young woman from her sleep. It had been nine am but Wendy was enjoying her dream with Grandine and her sitting in a field of tulips. Angry tear stains were running down Lucy's cheeks as she threw herself on the bed beside Wendy. It had taken them several days to rebuild the broken parts of the guild and get everything up and running, so when it was all said and done Laxus had officially asked Lucy on their date for tonight. She was a tad excited to see the least, however, Laxus had been sent on a time-sensitive mission with Vander, Kaleb, and Cristoff and Thane was handling the guild in their Master's absence.

Lucy had been frustrated, needing someone to talk too and Wendy was always willing to listen. Now that she had a moment to ponder everything and listen to her gut feelings they were screaming at something being wrong. She knew it had nothing to do with Hestor since Kaleb, Cobra, and Bickslow had picked apart every secret known. The dark celestial mage was harbouring feelings of hatred towards Kaleb for kicking him out and wanted revenge. He had amassed a large following of mages who wanted to harm the Pradesh family of White Sea and had attacked with everything they had. In the end, White Sea was much more formidable than it had been a couple years ago when he had left. They did find out a bit about the fact that Wendy and Lucy have been wanted by Joya, no surprise there. High Warqueen Sydelle wanted Lucy in her ranks for reasons unknown and her second in command, Warqueen Carina, was after Wendy because she wanted her to mate with her second born son. Apparently, Queen Sydelle had changed some laws within that last couple of years in regards to their perception on men in the hierarchy, but the details were unknown.

Wendy started to blush when she remembered the way Kaleb's glowing eyes landed on her, taking her in before she was promptly taken from the room by her favourite shadowy mage. She expressed her concerns to dealing with random men after being captured as a slave, especially after realizing that in some countries her virginity was something to be treasured but it other it was seen as a commodity. Wendy discreetly asked Vander to help her after they had talked for a couple hours about her insecurities. She had overheard enough conversations at Fairy Tail to know what was supposedly good and bad, had heard partners fucking each other, and could smell who had been with who. That had worked well to her advantage when it came to who was screwing who in the guild bets, so she might have gained a small fortune due to her dragon sense of smell.

Vander was on board to help her and so far they had sat down and discussed the physical elements of men and women, erogenous zones, queues to listen too, and what she knew she liked. Wendy had only been in Bosco for a short while but Emzadi had been her greatest champion when it came to everything and anything sexually related. Wendy chuckled while remembering how red Charle was after Emzadi had emptied a large shopping bag of toys for Wendy to use on herself. In the solar slayer's words "knowing how to love yourself will help you to show any potential partners what you're looking for." She'd explained how each toy worked, what to use first, and where to work her way up from there. Needless to say, Wendy had been experimenting, which Vander had been more than pleased to hear.

She still had a difficult time not turning red when the topic was about her masturbating but it wasn't as bad as before. They were supposed to start physical lessons next week but Vander had left the decision of whether she wanted a male or female partner. In Fiore, it was all about male/female relations but in Bosco, it was whatever turned your crank, which she was beginning to appreciate more and more. She had also been on the fence about that, so she was trying to distract herself from the nagging feeling by going over the pros and cons of a male vs female partner. The only problem was whenever she thought of a male partner her mind ALWAYS wandered to her guild master. Her dragon perked up every time he was around but hadn't so much as said anything to her, granted she hadn't been alone in the same room as him since he had inducted her and even then there were three others. Wendy sighed, this was getting her nowhere fast. Maybe she'd head to the training grounds to see if anyone wanted to spar with her.

"Hey Wendy," Beck waived at her when she entered the room. "You feeling ok?" Wendy smiled at the beast master and walked up to him. Of course, he'd pick up on her since he had been around Nurem while she resided here. She had heard rumours that she was one of the very first magical creatures he had been able to communicate with and that Nurem had given him a tooth to place on his ever-growing necklace.

"Yea. Feeling a little on edge today, but I have no idea why. Figured I'd come here to see if there was anyone who'd be willing to spar."

"I'm free if you'd like try and throw some punches at me," the smirk on Beck's face matched to teasing glint in his eyes.

"I'm going to do more than try." Wendy flipped her long hair over her shoulders as she threw off her baggy shirt and sweatpants. She had been wearing a modest dark blue sports bra that showed some cleavage and spandex shorts. She had been thinking about going swimming today but sparring seemed to fit her mood. "Don't cry to Master when he finds out how badly I beat you."

* * *

Juvia had been following Xally around a Non-For-Profit medical clinic all morning. The smallest Pradesh sibling had been working with her on healing using her water mage. It was definitely a trying morning but Juvia had been able to successfully heal several internal bleeding injuries with Xally's encouragement. She'd been able to heal minor cuts and bruises for a while now but Cristoff had made the suggestion to see if Xally would be willing to help expand her knowledge since their magic was so similar. Juvia had mulled it over before she gathered the courage to ask Xally. They didn't know each other very well and Juvia didn't want to impose but the benefits heavily outweighed her nerves.

They were currently sitting a small outdoor café a block from the clinic eating some amazing pasta dishes that Juvia had no hope of pronouncing. Xally was flirting away with the tall orange haired waiter, complimenting him on how well he wore his bow tie causing Juvia to hide her smile in her napkin. This café was known for shirtless waiters, black bow ties, and boxer briefs that left little to the imagination. The man was definitely attractive but he wasn't Cristoff. Juvia froze at her thoughts and internal shook her head. She had only seen Cristoff with his shirt off, purely by accident, and had become an instant puddle. She hadn't been that attracted to anyone in a very long time.

"Earth to Juvia?" Xally waived her hand in front of the other water mage's face.

"Juvia is sorry. Was Xally saying something to Juvia?"

"You head in the clouds? Or perhaps on the moon?" The cheshire grin that broke out on Xally's lips had Juvia turning red at being caught thinking about Cristoff. "I'm glad Cristoff has found a mate as amazing as you. You'll be able to love him as deep as any ocean and be just as fierce when warranted."

"Mate? Xally thinks that Juvia is the mate of Cristoff?" Juvia's wide blue eyes stared into Xally's even wider aquamarine ones. Xally slapped a hand to her forehead and groaned while slinking into her seat a bit.

"Sorry, Juvia. Cristoff wanted to tell you when he got back. He was going to take you on a romantic date and everything but I just had to go and blab." Juvia let Xally express how sorry she was as her mind went off in a hundred different directions. Cristoff knew that she was his mate? Who else knew about this? Why would his dragon pick her? What actually happened during a mating? "Juvia?"

"Sorry, it's just Juvia is very surprised by Xally's statement."

"I know, I totally blew that surprise."

"Maybe not. Perhaps Xally could help Juvia to find a fun way to also surprise Cristoff when he is back?" Xally's eyes lit up with excitement. "Maybe Emzadi would help Juvia as well? She'd like to spend some time getting to know the rest of the family."

"Need my help with what?" Emzadi plopped her bags in the spare chair causing both girls to scream at her sudden appearance before they all broke into a fit of laughter.

"I accidentally told Juvia about the whole mate thing . . ."

"Xal-ly! Way to ruin this for Cris and Juvia. So help me you better not have told dad!"

"No way!" Xally animatedly shook her head no while waving her hands. "I try my damndest to not think about that at all when we are in the same vicinity."

"Anyways . . . you said you wanted help with something?"

"Yes. Juvia would like to find a way to agree to Cristoff's proposal, a sexy way. Granted Juvia doesn't know anything about mates or mating." She chewed on her bottom lip after her admitting that small part. "Juvia is comfortable with sex just not how to pull it off in a sexy manner."

"Oh girl, you stick with us and we'll have to make sure he's the one in a puddle." Emzadi rubbed her hands together as a plan began to develop in her mind. "So here's what you'll want to do."

* * *

Lucy had been wandering around aimlessly all morning before she found herself back at Arman's house. She stood outside the doors trying to decide what to do about her pent-up anger, anxiety, and excitement. Anger over the fact that Laxus had to leave late the night before their date for a high priority mission, excited over the fact that HE wanted to go on a date and had asked her himself, and anxious over . . . well, she wasn't quite sure yet. She huffed causing her bangs to blow out of her eyes as she finally opened the doors.

Mrs. Elan waived at Lucy as she walked by with a basket of fresh linens followed by a woman carrying freshly pressed towels. She had spoken briefly with the older woman on a few occasions but she was usually far too busy attending to the house to stay for more than ten minutes, unlike Mr. Elan. That man enjoyed the company while cooking, especially when Lucy was helping him make some Fioran dishes to add to supper on occasion. It was usually something she was craving or missing from home that she'd help him make, after all, she did spend a hell of a lot of time in the kitchen at the konzern escaping her lessons or her father.

However, today she wasn't in the mood to bake and chat. She needed someone to girl talk with and eventually apologize to Wendy for coming unglued on her as she did. Lucy still felt guilty for waking the poor sky maiden up from her sleep. Maybe they'd head out to the Grass Sea tonight with some others and splash around under the clear night sky of the new moon. The more she thought about it the more she was excited about going. A cute bathing suit, star gazing, spending time with her new family and guild, sounded like old times.

"Stop thinking so loud Tink," Cobra yelled from somewhere. Lucy spun around looking for the maroon-haired man only to yelp when he jumped from the balcony to land centimetres in front of her. "What's got you all in a tizzy? Your soul is literally everywhere, all of it, one giant black hole."

"Ha ha ha, you ass." Lucy stepped around him and went to sit in the large chair in the corner of the living room. "Too many emotions and not enough ways to express them."

"Do I hear gossip time?" Evergreen made her way into the room, pulling Lucy's legs up to sit down and letting them rest on her thighs. "Tell doctor Evergreen everything." Lucy giggled while Cobra snorted. "If you're not going to be useful, leave. Otherwise, plop your firm ass in the seat beside me and let me rest against you too." Cobra rolled his eye but did as the fairy mage asked. Evergreen slid right into his side as he threw an arm across her bare shoulder, getting comfortable because he knew they'd be here for a while.

"I'm sorry, but did hell freeze over? Pretty sure you had muttered that one day." Lucy looked from Cobra to Evergreen back to Cobra.

"People are still dying so I'd say the doors to hell are still functioning." Evergreen rolled her eyes and looked at Lucy who was still staring intently at them, clearly waiting for answers. "I told her we were mates last night when I tricked her into going on a date with me. We bumped uglies, confessed our love for one another, and boom here we are." Evergreen swatted him with her fan that seemed to just materialize, as Lucy hid her giggle behind a hand.

"You make it sound so awful and the only part of the story that's true is the part where he tricked me into a date. Told me he had heard of a new fairy line Elluris was coming out with and took me to a small restaurant on the outskirts of the city." Evergreen's cheeks reddened but the smile could be seen from a mile away.

"Figured I should explain how mating works, give her a chance to flee before all the happily ever after bullshit."

"Always the hopeless romantic Erik."

"Damn straight, Tink. Now that you have the jist, how about you spill why your soul isn't all rainbows and sunshine." She raised an eyebrow at him before sighing, knowing he meant that she wasn't her usual perky self.

"I'm angry over the fact that Laxus had to go, which I know is super childish but we were finally making headway!" Lucy started and the more she thought and talked about it the more her feelings starting to pour out. "I know I'm his mate, he mumbled it while he was sleeping one night, which makes sooo much sense with how shitty his attitude has been and why he's been more on edge with me around. Good to know I'm not losing my marbles."

"Not any more than usual."

"Hey pot," Lucy threw a random piece of paper from her pocket at Cobra's head. "He left me a note, Erik. A fucking NOTE! He's gone to play big bad dragon slayer on some random mission I know nothing about, which isn't helping with my nerves. He's with an amazing group of guys so I'm not too worried but it just seems that our plans never go the way either of us wants. Sometimes I think Mavis hates us." Cobra snorted at that.

"Yes, the undead founder of the fairies is after the Light of Fairy Tail." He pointedly looked at her but knew she wasn't finished.

"I was so excited. I had an outfit picked out, was going to spend some extra time getting dolled up and Cancer was going to come out and do my hair. The butterflies still flutter in my stomach when I think about our date, that'll now have to be postponed."

"And you're nervous?" Evergreen starting rubbing Lucy's legs in a soothing manner. "I'm sure when you do go on your first date with Laxus that it'll be amazing."

"Not nervous about the date. There's something big about to happen, I can FEEL it with my entire being. Like the stars are trying to tell me something and I have no idea how to decode it. Something isn't right." That had probably set Lucy on edge the most out of everything else. "You learn to appreciate these warning after being kidnapped or part of evil plots so often."

"What do you want to do Lucy?" The blonde looked at Evergreen, concern written across her face.

"I was hoping we could hit the beach at dusk. It's supposed to be a clear sky tonight so I'd like to star gaze and play in the warm waters."

"That sounds like an amazing idea! Why don't you go have a nap and I'll come to get you for supper in a couple hours."

"Thanks Ever." Lucy gave each mage a kiss on the cheek before she wandered to her room. Once Lucy was out of the room Cobra pulled Evergreen fully into his lap and just held her as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"What's got you freaking the fuck out?"

"I was in Fairy Tail with Lucy for years and now we're in White Sea, one of the safest guilds in the planet."

"But . . ."

"But, I know better than to not heed a Lucy warning. I talked with Bickslow this morning and Thane hasn't heard from Kaleb yet and they've almost been gone for just over twelve hours. No mental links to any of his siblings or calls on the coms. Either this is an extremely covert operation or something is wrong."

"I heard Little Blue's soul today too. She was just as concerned as Lucy is and went to the training grounds to try to relax."

"Well if you call taking a strip off Beck a way of relaxing then she accomplished that. She wasn't in any better shape though and the healer was chastising both of them for being too rough." Evergreen lifted her head off Cobra's broad shoulder to look into her deep purple eye. When he kissed her, warmth spread throughout Evergreen's entire body as she started to become addicted to his kisses. They had shared a couple here and there but nothing like this one that was lighting her soul on fire. These kisses were becoming her salvation and her torment, lusty, sexy images filled her mind and knew that he'd hear them. She lived to tease him in this fashion and she'd forever have the memory of his lips on hers. The fairy mage knew they should probably stop before they ruined the sofa they were on but couldn't bring herself to stop the kiss. She could easily lose herself within this man but they had decided to take things slow, she still had things to work through after Elfman left her and Cobra was hiding something. It was deep or dark but it had something to do with sex, of that she was positive. He had steered her away from every conversation about sex between the two of them and for now, it was ok. For now, he could keep his secrets. She'd eventually get him to talk, or better yet show her what he was keeping under wraps. For now, she'd enjoy his kisses and light touches, revel in the way he made her feel.

 


	25. Chapter 25

Vander was slowly waking for the strangest dream he'd ever had, dancing flamingos were doing the polka while he lounged on the beach. Whales were singing kumbaya in the ocean, the sun was blazing down, and the palm trees had smiling faces. Whatever concoction of drugs that had been blasted at them were pretty fucking strong, he barely remembered hitting the forest floor. He had heard the faint sounds of the other three yelling his name but if he was knocked out then the others more than likely were too. Cristoff may have been the only one to ward off the effects due to his healing powers but Vander suspected that even he had been captured. Judging by the looks of his cell he'd hazard a guess that they were in Joya and they definitely knew each of their magics. He was locked in a white padded room where no shadows could be formed, not to mention there was some serious magic cancelling runes.

"Someone did their fucking homework."

"Laxus?"

"Vander? You alright?"

"I think so but flamingos can fuck a guy up, ya know?" Laxus snorted from wherever he was being held.

"That was some insane shit they threw at us. Think Cobra could have withstood that?"

"I think he may have been able to get high off this stuff before his body absorbed it all. Have you heard from Kaleb or Cris?"

"No." Laxus stayed quiet for a moment longer. "I can't hear anything outside of where we are. Every now and then I'll hear a door open and get a snippet but that's it."

"Well if we're in Joya, like I'm guessing we are, then Cristoff and Kaleb are probably isolated in another room."

"Joya? Well fuck, why would those bitches want to capture any of us?"

"Kaleb was supposed to come to Queen Sydelle before dad managed to get ahold of him. She's been bitter about it ever since," Vander leaned against the wall, eyes closed. "Plus there's the whole 'she wants your mate for some evil plan' thing going on here too. The fact she caught us means she's likely going to want to breed us to the other queens."

"They are aware that Cris and I won't be able to get it up unless we're with our mates, right?"

"I'm sure their alchemists have figured out some things to try on you two. Probably another mixture like earlier. Speaking of which, do you have any idea how long we were out for?"

"No. I've been awake for an hour at the most."

"Laxus?"

"Cris!" Two shouts rang out when they heard the lunar slayer speak. "Bro, are you hanging in there?"

"I think so. I tried to fight them off but damn, I only lasted a few minutes before I was out. I was talking to Kaleb earlier before they took him in front of Sydelle. I'm hoping he'll have more insight for us once he returns."

"If they bring him here," Laxus stated as he kicked the wall. "How long until White Sea figures out what's going on?"

"Well if we knew how long we've been in here for then maybe . . ."

"Five days Vander. We were captured five days ago," Cristoff closed his eyes while he spoke. "They were talking about the full moon only being four days away."

"Fuck." "Double fuck."

* * *

Kaleb had been forced to his knees the moment he was directly in line with the empty throne. They'd kicked his knees out from under him and forced his head to be bowed. The magic cancelling cuffs that had been slapped on his wrists negated his power decently enough but he was still able to hear everyone around him. Albeit it was harder the more powerful the mages he was around which had him wondering how strong Sydelle's magic was. No-one had ever seen the woman use magic but everyone was well aware that she possessed it, yet there were only rumours on what kind of magic she wielded. Most thought she was a dark seith mage with how she was able to control people, others thought she was a mindbender of sorts, either way, he'd find out for himself. Kaleb heard several footsteps making their way to them and knew whatever he found out wasn't going to be good.

"Rise Master Kaleb," Sydelle's sweet voice reached his ears as he stood but kept his head bowed, wouldn't do him any good to piss her off right now. "I have to say that you definitely grew up to pass all expectations. It's a shame you haven't been able to warm my bed all these years but being raised Boscan has its perks. Please look at me when I talk to you." She sat in her throne, crossing one leg over another to show off her long toned legs. She was unnaturally fair skinned for one being of Joyan descent but the blonde hair was typical of its royal lines. "Tell me, Kaleb, how much of my plans do you know?"

"Only what I have overheard."

"And that would be?"

"You plan on breeding us the night of the full moon in four days time. Cristoff's need to have sex to decrease the effects of his magic could bring you several good matings, plus the lust he'll inspire in the women will be an added bonus. Your alchemists have made something special for Laxus since you are aware his mate is Lucy and plan to use the same on Vander and myself."

"Hmm, it seems that the gossip in the palace walls travels fast. You are not wrong and I plan to have you, finally, after waiting several long years to get to this point."

"I fail to see what this has to do with Lucy." Kaleb was trying to stall for time before he was sent back to the cells. Sydelle's mind was strongly fortified but not unbreakable, if he'd been at his full strength this would have been a stroll down the beach.

"All in good time Kaleb. For now, just enjoy the time you'll have with your fellow companions before the night of the full is upon us." Kaleb saw several images in Sydelle's mind and it took everything he had to not gasp at her plans. It wasn't enough for him to know for sure what she was after, but it definitely ended in Lucy's death. If only he could reach out to his family, could form a link with any of his siblings then maybe they could save them from a life of forced slavery and breeding.

"Your friends and family will be here to see to your enslavement, of course, they will all be enslaved as well. Lucy will lose the will to live as she watches her beloved dragon being taken by one of my warriors, followed by watching all of you being forced to do the same. Then, then she will be mine. Take him away!" The two women that had drug him into the room were taking him back to where he, hypothesized, had come from earlier. This did not bode well for the four of them because in order for Lucy to be drawn to Joya there'd have to be some kind of lead dropped. She'd be drawn to come rescue them, hell all of White Sea would come if it meant saving their Master. The lights turned on in the room as they entered, and he saw the three cells become transparent, thankful that Laxus, Vander, and Cristoff were alright. He was placed in the fourth cell, as the women left they allowed the four of them to see each other.

"How was meeting the esteemed queen?"

"Not awful."

"Buuuut," Vander poked for more information knowing Kaleb was holding back. "We already know that she plans to stud us out, so it can't get much worse than that."

"She plans to have Lucy watch her warrior breed Laxus and also," Kaleb steadily looked at Laxus, remaining as calm as possible, "she plans to kill Lucy once she's heartbroken. I don't know why but I was able to get that much from her. They're going to lure everyone here to capture them the same way they caught us." The room was quiet as they let everything sink in. This just wasn't their day.

* * *

Lucy was laying on Evergreen's lap, who was resting against Cobra's chest, another day without any news of the four missing mages. Wendy and Juvia had joined them shortly after Thane had made the evening announcement about what efforts were being put into locating the missing men, what ground had been covered, and what rumours they were looking into. Five days had gone by, FIVE DAYS, and they had heard absolutely nothing from them. There were no scent trails, no sightings by animals in the forest, absolutely jack shit! The two bluenettes were resting on Lucy's stomach and thighs, both had already whipped the tears away. It had been hard on everyone, especially the Pradesh family and the previous mages of Fairy Tail.

"I wish we had Cristoff's lunar jumping capabilities, then maybe Presca would have been able to cover more ground," Evergreen uttered with closed eyes as one hand played with Lucy's long locks and the other was interlocked in Cobra's.

"Presca had Emzadi, and Beck, with him when they went to search. Plus a whole slew of other talented tracking mages, there was just nothing to be found," Lucy sighed, for what seemed like the thousandth time. "I wish one of them was a key so I could just summon them to my side. Could you imagine Laxus' face when that happened." The small group laughed, for the first time in days, imaging the pissed off and stunned look the blonde slayer would have.

"Sorry to interrupt, but you have visitors, Miss Lucy." One of the mages that worked in the guild office smiled politely at them.

"Visitors? Me?"

"Yes, Miss. They asked for you by name and only you." Curious Lucy stood to follow the petite woman, letting Cobra know she would let him know if anything was amiss. She hadn't been in White Sea long enough for many other mages or guilds to know her whereabouts, she hadn't even taken a real mission yet, and she hadn't appeared in any tabloids, that she knew of. This person either had to be extremely connected or she was walking into a trap of sorts.

"Hey Bunny."

"Gajeel!" Lucy flung herself at the iron slayer who was prepared for one of Lucy's diving hugs after being on the receiving end of them enough times. "How? What? I don't understand?"

"I've been doing some undercover work for the Magic Council and had heard rumours you had been found and inducted here. I needed to make sure you were alright after your disappearance."

"Magic Council? Seriously?"

"Hey! It's not that hard to believe." Lucy giggled as Gajeel set her back on the floor. "I have also been talking with Bickslow on occasion, he filled me in on what's happened here and asked for some help. There'll be a couple others joining us once I have met with Thane and Bix."

"Gajeel!" Another squeal filled the room as Wendy lunged at the older man, knocking him onto his ass.

"Damn half pint, that was quite the tackle. What are they feeding you here? You've grown at least a foot and have started to fill out some too." Wendy blushed at the compliments her dragon kin was giving her.

"Hey, metal dick."

"Poison slut. Evergreen. Juvia. Nice to see you all here too."

"Juvia is happy to see Gajeel is doing well. Where is Levy at?"

"In Fiore with a couple others who have been contracted to work for the council. She took your disappearance hard Bunny, and has been holding off on her marriage to Jet until you were found."

"Jet!" Evergreen screeched. "I thought you had a thing for one another."

"We tried for a month but she isn't my mate and she understood. She tried dating another man, utter idiot he was, before Jet showed up for some work as a courier. I'll let her know where you are, if that's alright?"

"Sure, but you're not staying?"

"I've got a month of vacation saved up. Figured I'd help out here and then relax a bit before heading back to work. Gotta make a living still and working for the council isn't that bad."

"Well how about we show you around the guild before taking you to meet Thane. I am sure you'll have lots to talk about." Lucy suggested as Gajeel nodded in agreeance.

"Keep it in your pants while you're here on 'official' council business. Pleasure can wait until after this is sorted," Cobra smirked at the other slayer who was turning heads as they walked through the guild. He was dressed in his formal clothes, the white jacket drawing attention itself, but Cobra could hear the lude thoughts of the majority of people in the guild. Gajeel was a tall, well-built mage whose muscles could be seen through his skin-tight black shirt and the form-fitting brown slacks weren't helping either. 

"How funny would it be if Gajeel's mate was here?" Evergreen whispered in the lowest tone possible, hoping that Gajeel wouldn't hear here or just ignore her.

"Stranger things have happened, like him working for the council."

"I can hear every fucking word!"

"Thane!" Lucy brightly announced so everyone's attention was brought forward. "This is Gajeel Redfox, Gaj this is Thane."

"It's nice to meet you Gajeel," Thane shook the slayer's hand. "Would you like to come in so we may discuss what has happened. Bickslow will be joining us shortly if that's alright."

"Pretty much the whole reason I'm here is because of him." Gajeel looked over his shoulder at the celestial mage. "I'll find you once we're done here, ok Bunny?"

"Absolutely." Lucy watched as the doors closed, hope blooming in her chest for the first time in days. Gajeel was THE best tracker that she had ever known, still had his contacts int he dark guilds, and was very high up in the council by the looks of things. She looked to Wendy and Juvia, both women smiling widely as they shared her feelings. He'd find her in the morning because knowing him he'd been in there until he had all the details and in the morning they could start fresh. A new day filled with new hopes.


	26. Chapter 26

Gajeel had woken up early the next morning to head to the gym and try to clear his head. Bickslow and Thane had filled him in on everything that had been happening since they had found Lucy. Needless to say, he was quite surprised that Laxus was Lucy's mate but was glad that the two of them had found one another. The more he thought about it the more it seemed to make sense. Laxus was a complete ass hole ninety percent of the time, had issues dealing with people, but was a huge fucking powerhouse when it came to fighting. Lucy was essentially the opposite, except it seemed she had picked up some new fighting moves that he was hoping he could test out once this issue was fixed.

That was the reason he was heading to the gym. He'd stayed up all night with the other two mages going over every possible scenario, plan of action, details of reports that had come in and they still weren't any closer to figuring out where is Joya Laxus, Kaleb, Cristoff, and Vander had been taken. He had some inside help and was hoping that they'd be able to find something more concrete or at least a viable lead. Gajeel adjusted the weight set so he was starting off with five hundred pounds to warm up with. He was alone in the room which didn't bother him in the slightest but he was missing Lily who had opted to stay in Crocus in case anything good came from there. Moments like this he was missed belonging to a guild, especially after seeing how happy his previous guildmates were here in Bosco.

He was looking forward to taking some time off and exploring Pelerno. Gajeel had been sitting on the fence about joining a real guild again, especially since he and Levy weren't mates. They had tried dating for a couple months but it just didn't . . . feel right so they had parted ways amicably but it was still a bit weird, even if he was the only one thinking it. Plus he hadn't gotten laid since his time with Levy so it'd been a solid four months if not longer and he was really looking forward to working off some extra stress. His dragon had purred the minute he set foot in Pelerno but Gajeel had yet to figure out what the reasoning for that was.

"Hey, Gaj," Bickslow called out as he was changing the weight to six hundred pounds. "How'd you sleep last night?"

"Longest consecutive sleep I've had since Tartaros," Gajeel answered honestly. He'd always liked Bickslow, found his perverted sense of humour to be super funny and wasn't as stupid as a lot of people made him out to be. Just hid it really well and when you find that he's a Pradesh and had to leave home due to his magic the barriers he put up makes sense.

"Morning Zen." Gajeel looked up to see another man, not quite as build as Laxus but definitely more toned than himself, strolling into the gym. "Gajeel this is Zen Pradesh, archangel mage of White Sea. Zen, this is Gajeel Redfox, iron dragon slayer previously associated with Fairy Tail and now a lapdog for the magic council in Fiore." Gajeel sent a blue black-haired man a glare before he started a new set of lifts at the new weight. "I asked for help and this is who they sent me." Bickslow cackled then dodged the iron spores that Gajeel shot at him.

"Any leads yet?" Zen asked as he grabbed another set of weights to warm up with while watching Bickslow grab a skipping rope.

"Nothing. I wish we had a direct way of contacting them or some kind of a damn tracker to do the job for us. Almost wish Natsu was here because he had the best nose out of all of us, easily finding and picking up on things the rest of us missed."

"Need some kind of a homing beacon. Could you imagine any of them have a blinking red dots on their asses?" The three men laughed before he added, "Knowing Vander he'd have it slapped somewhere where everyone could see it like his chest, forehead or dick since he uses that just as much."

"What did you say?" Zen immediately stopped, letting the bar rest on the ground.

"About the beacon?"

"No! The placement."

"His dick would be ideal but I don't . . ."

"His chest! Bickslow that's it!" Zen ran from the room, the other two following behind him with curious and confused looks. Zen was excited as the idea formed in his head and he needed Lucy to wake up so he could talk to her about it. They entered her room to find two bluenettes sleeping peacefully but the blonde was missing. "Where is she?" Zen asked in hushed tones.

"Judging by the scent I'd say she's been gone for an hour or so. Bunny have a spot here that she goes to think?" Gajeel looked at Bickslow who was giving Zen a small smile, obviously, they had an idea of where she was at. "Well lead the way." Bickslow turned around and walked the opposite way they came from, taking them to the small pond out back. It wasn't as nice as the one at Arman's house but it would do in a situation like this. "Bunny has always felt calm around water. Makes sense she'd find wherever she's at."

"Has to do with Aquarius from my understanding. She was the first spirit Lucy was contracted with and she often called her out in baths as a child," Cobra came out of another hallway to join them. "How's it going iron prick?"

"Could be better cyclops. How'd you become part of this?" Gajeel had heard about the Thunder Legion, Lucy, Juvia, and Wendy joining White Sea but Cobra was unexpected.

"Got caught by the same people who had Tink, became besties while caged, found static and crew, rescued the princess, and joined the guild."

"Don't forget you were the first to get a kin mark with Lucy. Then the others slowly started . . . Shit! That's it, isn't it?"

"Only one way to find out."

"Want to share with the class?" Gajeel asked the other three who seemed to be in on something he wasn't.

"Lucy saved Vander from the darkness a little while ago," Bickslow started to explain, "and she ended up forming a bond with him and marking him as hers in some weird ass way."

"She created a contract with him that essentially protects him from the shadows of his magic," Cobra finished listening to things start to click for the slayer.

"So you think she can somehow what? Sense him?" Gajeel questioned. It was absolutely crazy but if she could do something like Cristoff's moon jumps or Mest's teleportation then perhaps . . .

"Exactly," Cobra smirked. "We know Tink has that grandpa like spirit that's super smart so maybe he can find something."

"Good morning guys. What brings you out here?" Lucy smiled as she swished her feet in the warm waters of the fountain.

"We have an idea to pose to you about a way to potentially find the others," Zen smiled as Lucy's feet stopped moving.

"Really?" 

"You'll need your grandpa spirit and maybe the call the kitten out." Cobra grinned when the familiar magic of a gate opening greeted them.

"I resent that. I have been around for hundreds of years, so I'm definitely out of the kitten stage." Loke readjusted his glasses before taking Lucy's hand a placing a kiss to the back of it. "Hello, beautiful." Lucy rolled her eyes before pulling her hand out and summoning Crux.

"I honestly have no idea what this is about but they asked me to bring you out. Hope you don't mind."

"Of course not Miss Lucy. What can I help you youngsters out with today?"

"We are wondering if there is a way for Lucy to sense Vander because of the connection they have, or even Cris with his kin marking," Bickslow asked hopefully. It was a long shot but it was the best they had right now.

"Let me look into it." Crux went into 'sleep' mode as he searched for the information across hundreds of years of knowledge.

"She could try it with Cobra first," Loke stroked his chin in thought. "If we had him sitting in another room then maybe Princess could focus on him, see what happens? There haven't been kin marks in . . . centuries, so no-one knows what to expect and that mark with Vander is even more mysterious." 

"What do you think Erik? Want to give it a shot?" He shrugged his shoulders in response and went to find a random room to occupy for a bit. "Anything, in particular, I should be thinking about or things to expect?"

"No idea, so best of luck. I'll be around to see what happens and keep track of where you go too."

"That sounds cryptic," Gajeel narrowed his eyes at the spirit.

"We don't know how she's going to locate Cobra. Will it be a magic signature? Gut feeling? It's too new to know for sure." 

"Cosplayer won't be hurt, will she?"

"I don't think so . . . but it could drain her magic since it's something new to her." 

"I am right here!" Lucy had her hands on her hips tapping her foot in annoyance. "We wait for Crux to finish up and then we can . . ."

"Princess I have found something." Lucy nodded her head at the elder spirit for him to continue. "There are few passages that contain information on the topic but based on what I have found it is possible. It depends on the mage though for how you are to find him, each case was different, essentially a trail was found and followed. You need to think about what the link means to you and push positive thoughts into it in order to find them."

"Anything else Grandpa Crux?" He motioned his head no so Lucy sent him home. "I'll give this a try and we'll go from there?" Lucy started to think about her time with Cobra in confinement and how it was essentially him who had brought her to White Sea. Without him, she wouldn't have met any of the Pradesh family, who she had come to love and respect in so many different ways. Each one brought a unique ray of light to her world and she was forever thankful for that. The more she thought about them the happier she became until she was glowing a soft golden colour. The next minute she was gone.  

* * *

He was bored! Vander had nothing to occupy his time with and he only had so much time to talk to the other three before they'd turn off that 'privilege' as the warriors had referred it to. Today was day six that he had been locked up for and he wasn't liking it one bit. He needed to stretch his muscles, feel his magic at his fingertips, and feel another body moving against his own. The only saving grace was that no one was to be bred until the full moon, which was also another day closer. Cristoff wasn't feeling any effects yet which they figured had to be because he hadn't seen any moonlight at all since before the night they were captured. He'd take that small blessing, didn't need any horny women out and about when he couldn't even fuck them. 

"So not fair," he bumped his head against the glass wall.

"What's not fair?" Cristoff asked.

"Ooh! Talking time has been restored," Vander smiled when the others realized this too. "Just bored. I could be doing so many other fun things right about now. Mostly referring to sex. What I wouldn't give to find myself a bathing partner to fuck until . . ." Vander's jaw dropped as what looked like a large golden star circle appeared in the middle of the room. A petite blonde fell out of the circle as she lifted her head to meet his shocked red eyes. "Luce stellare?" 

 


	27. Chapter 27

Lucy had been thinking about Cobra and finding where he was at but then her mind drifted to the concern she felt for her loved ones. They were so far away, in Mavis knows what kind of conditions, and she just wanted them home and safe. Wanted Kaleb being the fearless leader they were needing right now, Cristoff to calm everyone's nerves and mate with Juvia, to have Laxus wrap his arms around her, and Vander . . . she just wanted him home safe. After what had happened not that long ago she desperately wanted him home. She knew something special had happened with them, a once in a lifetime bond, so concentrating on Vander she had felt the wells of her magic surge. She had made a promise to him after all and she was going to keep it!

Her magic had curled around her like a warm cocoon, filling her with warmth, hope, and love and just let it take her where it needed too. Lucy had stumbled out of the black starry dimensions she had passed through, not exactly her most graceful landing ever. Looking up she was met with familiar wine coloured eyes, a smile erupting from her lips. "Vander?" She whispered hesitantly, unsure if she was actually seeing him or hallucinating.

"Hey, luce stellare. You're a sight for sore eyes," Vander smiled warmly at the blonde. She ran up to the glass pressing her hands where his were at, tears forming in her eyes.

"Are you ok? Where's everyone else?"

"Right here blondie." Lucy turned her head to the side to see Laxus in the same container as Vander. "Not that we aren't grateful to see you, but how are you here?"

"How about we go over that theory when we're home? Where are we anyway?"

"No idea Stella," Cristoff stated from behind her.

"Pyxis," Lucy whispered out as her trusted guide came through the gate. "Can you map the coordinates of this place please?" The hands on the compass spun in several circles before the bird flapped its wings to alert her keyholder that he'd locked in on where they were at. "Thank you. Can you head back now and let Virgo and Capricorn know and tell them I'll call them when I'm back in Bosco, please?" The spirit bowed its head as he headed back to his realm. Crux, can you find out everything you can on Queen Sydelle and her warriors for us, please? Lucy felt the silver key on her hip warm as he started to look into it for her. "We've been trying for days to get any sort of clue to where you might be. What happened?"

"Ambushed but Joyan warriors that used a powerful knock out agent to get to us," Kaleb explained as he looked at Laxus, wondering if they should relay the other news.

"Blondie, when you leave here you shouldn't come back."

"What the hell Laxus? I'm a White Sea mage so bet your ass that I'll be helping to get you out of here. Don't think for one minute that . . ."

"Let me finish dammit!" Laxus raised his voice slightly to get the woman's attention. "Queen Sydelle plans to kill you, Lucy, needs you for something important. She's already warming up some of her lackeys to fend off the mages that are coming here, plus she plans on using us to breed specific women the night of the full moon."

"But that's only a few days away!" She had no idea what the plan would be when she got back, hoping she could repeat what she did to get here.

"Stella," Vander said with a smile on his face, "You mean the world to us, too many people back home and we just want to keep you safe. Sydelle is not someone to mess with plus we don't even know what kind of magic she possesses." Lucy glared at him as she poked the glass where the middle of his chest would be.

"You better listen up, all of you, because I am only going to say this one time," Lucy took a moment to look at the other three mages in the room. "I fought for my guild rank in White Sea, several of you in this room were the ones who deemed me worthy of it, and some bitch who is after you will not stand in my way. Not now, not ever!"

"Can't say we didn't try," Cristoff said with a shrug of his shoulders. "How are things at home?"

"Tense but Thane is doing an amazing job. Plus Bix called in a favour of our favourite iron dragon slayer, who also happens to be very high up in the ranks of the magic council. He's been helping us where he can and enlisted the help of some friends."

"I know you're doing everything you can," Kaleb looked to the door then to Lucy, "but you should probably go back before someone figures out you're here."

"I promise I'll be back with help. Stay strong, I love you all." Lucy's gaze landed on Laxus last as her magic curled around her, thinking about home and Cobra who was probably losing his ever-loving mind, along with the others.

"Think they saw and heard all of that on the cameras?" Vander asked the group.

"Without a doubt," Kaleb answered, "I just hope this doesn't speed up their timeline at all."

"How long until White Sea comes for us?" Laxus asked while sitting on the small bed.

"Earliest would be a couple hours, but I'm going to assume they'll need time to go over the news that Lucy will have for them. It could be a day at most." The four men were silent after that, each hoping that nothing bad would happen before then.

Meanwhile, Kaleb had been right and Sydelle had been watching the entire exchange with several of her top-ranked officers. She had felt the familiar tingle of celestial magic in the air and had stopped her warriors from startling the newcomer. Instead, they had watched the interaction between the five mages as they talked briefly about what was going on. She knew that Lucy was powerful but to see her appear through a gate, well that was purely amazing. No celestial mage had ever been able to do so before and the thought of taking her magic was making her almost giddy.

"Inform the others that we will more than likely had company coming by mid-morning tomorrow. I want him to be prepped and ensure there are extra magical restraints placed on the other three. Not enough to cause damage though, we will want to ensure they are all able to be bred once we have claimed our victory. Tell the alchemists to prepare more knock out draught plus another dozen vials of the aphrodisiac. I have a feeling we will be collecting more mages from White Sea that will ensure strong bloodlines and I want them to be able to breed as well." The women bowed to the queen and left her alone in the room. Sydelle poured herself a glass on red wine and walked about to the balcony. It was only midday but the outline of the moon was present in the blue sky, so she raised her glass up to it. "You will rue the day you stripped me of powers."

* * *

Cobra was sitting in the chair in a random room he had picked for Lucy to try her new skills on. He was glad for a little bit of peace and quiet because the guild had been in chaos ever since they were informed about Master Kaleb. On the outside they all seemed to be managing their shit but the inside what another fucking thing entirely. Many people were worried about what would happen if Kaleb didn't return. Where would they go? What would they do? Would they be safe? Most didn't realize that the mindbender had a contingency in place if he should die before he was married and had a co-master of the guild. He had talked to Thane about it in private one night because he was also concerned about it. Thane had informed him that Cristoff would take up the mantle with Thane helping where he could. Cobra had breathed a sigh of breath, internally of course.

Now he sat alone in hoping that it would work because he didn't think he could handle to grief should this go south. He had come to actually like the guild and its mages, Kaleb had taught him a decent amount on shielding himself from others. Farron and Arman had also stepped in to help a couple of times too, since they all had the same magic. He could actively shut out every soul in the guild and sleep on his own at night, but if a bunch of people were all feeling the same thing it automatically triggered his magic. Which seemed to be happening right now. There was a whole of people panicking.

"Cobra," he heard Evergreen's higher than usual voice call out to him.

"In here fairy queen." She was throwing the door open to see Cobra calmly sitting in the chair.

"Lucy did it, but we don't know where she is or what happened! Zen said she wasn't in the same room as you were because he couldn't detect any trace of her magic." Cobra was quiet as he thought about what they were trying to do, and about the celestial mage herself. Evergreen walked up so that she was standing directly in front of the poison slayer. "Erik?"

"She's safe. I don't know how I know but Tink is alright wherever she is."

"How? How can you possibly know something like that? She could be stuck in the celestial world or another plane altogether! What if she was captured? What if she used to much magic up? What if . . ." Cobra pulled Evergreen into his lap, placing his lips on hers in an effort to quiet the woman. Her legs landed on either side of his so she was straddling the maroon-haired man. She wanted to be mad of him for silencing her like this but she was too concerned for her friends, so overwhelmed with what was happening that she let herself get lost in the feel of his lips dominating hers.

Evergreen had one hand on his chest to steady herself while the other rested on the back of his neck, craving closeness. She pushed her body into his, getting as close as possible, and moaned into the kiss when she felt this thick cock brush against her core. She knew sitting like this would cause her dress to rise up, had felt Cobra's hands rubbing her bare thighs and the curve of her luscious ass. This was the furthest he'd let her go so far, not that she hadn't been doing her damndest to tempt him but he was staying just far enough away. He still thought she would run, she was positive, but she needed him to know she wasn't going anywhere and this was the best way to show him. They had been spending so much time together lately that while she was bathing this morning it dawned on her that she was in love with the grumping and cocky poison slayer.

Cobra had pulled away from the kiss when he heard her soul whisper that four-letter word to him. He was searching her eyes for the truth, needing the confirm what he had just heard. Her flushed face and heavy breathing did little to hide the warmth and love that was clearly shining in her eyes. He growled, sending shivers down her spine, as he pulled her in for another mind-blowing kiss. Hands grabbed her ass as he pushed her against his throbbing member, realizing that he'd need to mate with her once they rescued the others because there was no way that his dragon would give up with the knowledge it now had. A breathy moan escaped Evergreen as he kissed her neck, teeth itching to bite her fair skin. Cobra and Evergreen heard someone clearing their throat as they looked to where the noise was coming from.

"Not that I don't support this but could you maybe cover her up some?" Lucy was smirking at the dishelved look on her friend's faces, snickering at how red Evergreen had become as she adjusted the top of her dress and pulled the bottom over her ass. She went to get up when Cobra's hands tightening made her look at him puzzled.

"Don't need Tink to see this," he looked down so she followed his gaze to see he was still sporting a hard-on for her. "Give us a couple minutes Tink and we'll be out. Go calm the other fuckers down who are freaking the fuck out over your disappearing act." Lucy laughed as she exited the room leaving them to become somewhat presentable.

"Sorry I didn't mean to push you so far," Evergreen softly said to her mate. "I know sex isn't the answer to the dealing with the excess of emotions, especially since we haven't done anything more than kiss. With everything going on I just needed you to know how I felt and maybe I came off a little strong."

"Never apologize for that," Cobra stated leaving no room for argument. "I don't deserve you, fairy queen, but whatever reason you're my mate and I will cherish you forever. I've done a shitty fucking job of it so far because I've been keeping you at arms race thinking you'd run off because I'm not the most touchy-feely person out there." Evergreen's giggle warmed his heart. "Once this shit show wraps up I'm locking you up in my room for a week." He grinned as he heard her heartbeat speed up, knowing she was looking forward to it as much as he was. "Now let's go see where Tink gate hopped too."

"Glad you two could join us," Bickslow's smug smirk was enough to know that he was well aware of what happened between the two. "Turns out Lucy is able to use the links to travel time and space to get to her destinations. We'll have to test that out more in the future."

"Lucy was just informing us about what the others had told her as well as their location in Joya thanks to her spirit," Zen mentioned with the same smile Bickslow was sporting. "The three of us are going to head to Thane's office to talk about next steps if you want to come." Cobra nodded his head as the four men left the women to themselves.

"Just how much fun did you two get up too?" Wendy asked with a crooked smile. Evergreen paled when she realized that Wendy would be able to smell their arousal from their encounter.

"Juvia thinks that this is a good thing," the water mage clapped her hands in happiness. "Cobra and Evergreen have been on edge for a while and sex helps with that."

"We didn't get that far!"

"No but I'm sure you would have if I hadn't dropped in," Lucy snickered at the brunette. "How about we go have a drink to celebrate this small victory? After that, I'm going to head to my room and do some research with Grandpa Crux." The four women walked to the main hall of the guild, each in happier spirits than they had been in days. Their chat was still heavily about Evergreen and Cobra, but there was some teasing about Juvia being able to stay away from Cristoff on the full moon. They had talked about how Wendy's lessons were going with her stand-in instructor and Wendy was pleased to tell them they had moved to actual sex now. Lucy had decided to depart before they could pick on her sex life, or lack thereof.

She entered her apartment to find several books about Joyan and their culture. She picked up the first one and immersed herself in their culture and how the operated. Turns out Joya and Pergrande weren't so different of their view of the opposite sex and how they were treated. In pergrande men were everything. They held power, sex slaves were all male, the entertainment was all male as well. Women were used only when one wanted a male heir and all female babies were killed upon birth and if the woman bared a third female child in a row they were also put to death. It was a barbarian way of doing things that had Lucy feeling ill, granted Joya was a tad better. They at least knew the value of keeping men alive and well, even if they were the cream of the crop and were to produce powerful females. Male children weren't killed but they were raised as slaves trained in either pleasure or as a warrior then sold to Pergrande, Sin, or Seven.

The next book she picked up was all about the Warqueen hierarchy. It was based on the royal bloodlines of the country and only those bloodlines could challenge one another for the title of High Warqueen. There were currently five royal lines in the country, each of which operated within a specific territory. The eastern territory was ruled by Warqueen Carina Hosta who looked after mining of emeralds and other jewels as well as being in charge of Joya's elite warrior's training and acquisition. Carina had several women under her employ that were responsible for travelling to different countries to talk with slave traders about buying females who would benefit their cause. Lucy figured that Wendy must have caught their eye and that was why she was going to be sold to the Joyan empire, well before the rescued them all.

Warqueen Lanni Janeston ruled the southern part of the country that was responsible for arms manufacturing and sale. They'd buy whatever materials were needed to create the most fascinating and intricate weapons for their leaders while selling other weapons on the black market. Warqueen Zella Tucain, of the western territory, looked after all the finances for the country. Her followers were scholars that were trained in the art of warfare as well as ensuring the country was able to sustain itself.

The northern territory belonged to Warqueen Angeline Custos, who also happened to be the successor to Sydelle if she should meet her untimely demise before a female heir was born or of age to ascend the throne at sixteen. Angeline had the smallest territory but the most defended one since she looked after all the pregnant women and children up to the age of eight when they were sent to Zella for six months then Carina for the remaining six. After that period of time, it would be decided who would be better suited as a warrior or scholar. Each woman was trained in each area but the majority of their training would be one or the other.

Each Warqueen was expected to produce at least three female heirs, in case something should happen, but only the oldest could duel for rights as High Warqueen. If the High Warqueen had nieces then they also had the right to challenge the High Warqueen, if she had no heir apparent, for the right to rule. The only the book didn't mention was the magic each Warqueen possessed, seemed like it was a well-kept secret.

The current ruling High Warqueen had been on the throne for twenty years, the longest reigning queen to date. Most queens were challenged by other bloodlines or died in battle but Sydelle had dominated all, so much so that no-one had issued a challenge in seven years. Joya's economy was blossoming, even if most of the funds were from the black market. Lucy turned the page to read more about her biography, wanting to know her enemy inside and out. High Warqueen Sydelle Ake . . . Lucy blinked several times as she stared at those four words. Her mouth went dry as her heart raced, her world suddenly sinking. Akemann was Lucy's mother's maiden name and the horrible feeling in her stomach churned more.

High Warqueen Sydelle Akemann took the throne when she was twenty but was only inducted on her twenty-fifth birthday after she had passed her final test. The final test was to ensure that the new ruler would do anything to keep Joya in power, so to ensure another of the same strong lineage was unable to interfere the Warqueen council decided Sydelle's task. She was to kill her sister, Layla Heartfilia. According to records Sydelle had met with alchemists to help in her task but there is no known record as to what actually transpired, just that Layla did pass away after some time. The day of Layla's death was Sydelle's official first day as acting High Warqueen.

Lucy's vision swam with tears, which were falling onto the old texts that she had been reading. She had always wondered how her mother developed magic deficiency out of the blue and was slowly killed, now she knew the tragic truth. Her aunt had killed her mother all to gain a title, the same woman who currently had four of her friends held captive. She angrily rubbed the tears from her eyes and steeled her nerves. Lucy would have to come up with another plan, one to take down Sydelle, without the help of her guild, friends, and family. Lucy pulled asked Crux for a book on Joyan warrior stances and the book appeared before her in a shimmer of gold light. She wondered if her spirits were aware of this event, or at least the ones contracted to her mother. Either way the Spirit King must have had some knowledge on the topic but had been hiding it away. She'd deal with them later, right now she needed to learn as much as she could in less than a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo there's that . . . Decided I needed to throw a twist of sorts into this story and voila! Never understood how Anna Heartfilia and Layla Heartfilia could look so much alike when Layla married Jude (who I am assuming is a Heartfilia - because let's face it Jude would not likely take Layla's last name) so I decided to tweak it for the purpose of this story. Next chapter will be the rescue and showdown between Lucy and Sydelle!


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's been a while, everyone. Wasn't sure what direction I wanted to take as I look at winding down WLS in the next 5ish chapters or so. Hope you all enjoy this new chapter.

White Sea mages were gearing up to save its Master and guildmates from the clutches of the Joyan Warqueen. Weapons were being sharpened, supplies were being loaded onto airships, plans were being finalized yet Lucy was still uneasy about something. It had been gnawing at her all night and she knew she just needed to talk to someone about it. The drugs that were used to knock out the guys would be incredibly strong and while Cobra could produce an anti-venom he needed to be able to gather the raw materials to make it work.

"You're right on creating it Tink," Cobra said as he and Evergreen rounded the corner followed by Gajeel, Juvia, and Zen. "I need to be able to get a taste of the goods, create the anti-venom, and then it can be mass produced."

"But how?" Lucy sighed as she plunked down onto the floor where her papers were all spread out. "I have been going over this for hours and nothing. New sets of eyes would be appreciated." The group sat down to assess everything and started throwing ideas around, none of which seemed to stick.

"Do you think the concoction of drugs is based for just males?" Wendy asked as she lifted up a piece of paper. "Do you think that the Warqueens would want to knock out and give aphrodisiacs to women when they just want to mate the guys to produce offspring?"

"Juvia thinks that Wendy is onto something. If we can send undercover mages with Cobra to Joya fast then we can test this theory, plus Juvia thinks we need to ask Mest to help as well."

"What do you think he can do?" Gajeel asked the water mage.

"Mest can give the illusion that White Sea mages are on the horizon, waiting to attack. No one has to know what's really going on until Cobra and team can get inside, then we can move forward with the plan."

"This is going to put us a full day behind, if it works," Gajeel muttered while he mulled it over. "We'll be going the night before the full moon then."

"Which will give Cristoff a wicked power boost and he'll still be semi-cognisant of what's going on," Zen went through a couple of papers while talking. "Kaleb will also get a boost due to the purity of the moonlight and since we're going at night now Vander will be at full capacity as well."

"Juvia and Wendy can use our powers to charge the air so Laxus can get some static electricity."

"So how do we disguise women as men to see if Wendy's theory works?" Evergreen asked the group.

"I can use Gemini. I won't be able to take more than two other women with me and I could only hold the transformations for maybe an hour, but it's doable," Lucy pressed her hand to Gemini's key who was eagerly letting her know that they could definitely do it while she was in their star dress. That sparked a bit of hope within the celestial mage as they went through the complexities of what would need to be done. "Alright, so I won't be going in with Cobra and the other three mages that we send. I need to focus on keeping up their appearances already. Zen and Mest will stay with me, Gajeel will follow Cobra, Wendy, Juvia, and Evergreen into the forest nearby. We will need to find some ordinary male mages that have good looks and decent powers in order to copy them. Ones that are not in Kaleb's elite squads would be preferable."

"I've made some amulets for you to put under your clothes so that it will absorb whatever potions get thrown at you," Freed said as he handed them out to the four mages. "You will still need to pretend to fight the effects and faint so it looks realistic."

"I'll send Virgo out to finish off our enemies and have Mest wipe their memories. Once the coast is clear then Gajeel can bring you four back to me and we can gate hop home."

"One problem Tink," Cobra voiced as he looked at his favourite blonde, "you can only gate travel with women who have your kin markings."

"Shit, well I guess that means Xally and Emzadi will have to go with you Cobra. Freed would you mind grabbing the girls and filling them in on the plan please?"

"Of course Miss Lucy."

"So now we need to find two mages. Any ideas Zen?"

"I'm going to suggest Ando and Kurt. They are fire and water mages respectively who are working their way up the ranks, so it should be easy enough to pull off."

"Do I get to put my hands on Ando's luscious ass?" Emzadi purred as she rounded the corner.

"Hand holding is all you'll need for skin on skin contact, sorry Em," Lucy giggled at the pouting woman. "Besides I thought you wanted to get inside Presca's pants?"

"Oh I do, but that man manages to evade all my attempts."

"You're in luck Bunny, Mest is in Northern Bosco for the council and will be here shortly." Lucy clapped her hands together in glee as their plan finally started to form. "He's more than willing to help us with this mission on his way back to Crocus and is fully up to speed."

"I've brought the guys up," Zen smirked as the younger men eagerly walked into the room. Lucy star dressed into her Gemini outfit as the twins came through their gate.

"You'll need to hold hands please, keep it clean ladies." Lucy laughed at the slight glares the four of them sent her way. She listened to Gemini as they instructed her on how to change the girls' appearances, and after a lot of concentration, she was successful. She felt her magic and decreased but not near enough for them to have to worry about her for a long while yet. "Alright, you four hold tight. Gajeel I'll meet you and Mest there." I golden light erupted followed by a dark shadow being thrown over the room and the six mages were gone.

"So what was this for?" Ando asked the group.

"A minor mission to help Master Kaleb," Wendy smiled at the now blushing man as she walked up to each of them, kissing them briefly on the lips in thanks. "You should probably finish getting ready yourselves." They nodded in agreement and headed off to do as Wendy suggested.

"Damn Wendy," Evergreen said while cleaning her glasses, "Vander would have been proud of how you subtly used your sex appeal to get those boys out of here."

"Vander has been an amazing teacher and so has Blair, the stand-in Suddepah I've been working with."

"Juvia is proud at how you've grown. I'm sure the rest will be equally as excited when they find out."

Lucy and the crew landed in a forest far enough away to not be detected by the Joyan warriors that were patrolling the forest but close enough that Gajeel, Cobra, and Emzadi could scent some of the women in the area.

"No time like the present to test your theory, Tink. Just need to wait for a slow ass iron dragon to stop snacking on the metal he find on his way here."

"Heard that," Gajeel grumbled as the two of them materialized from behind a tree.

"Nowhere near as fast as Vander but he might be willing to help you."

"Fuck you angel boy."

"Not really into men, being a slave and all." The girls giggled as Gajeel rolled his red eyes. "Alright. Quick in and out, make this as smooth as possible."

"You've come to the right guy, cherub." Cobra cackled as he dodged a swing from Zen, then took off running into the forest with Emzadi and Xally trailing behind him. Within minutes they were quite literally running into a wall of multi-coloured smoke, Cobra tumbling to the ground as his body was assaulted with at least six different chemical compounds. Xally and Emzadi followed his lead as they "tried" to breathe normally before passing out.

"Look at this haul Jezzy. Three very attractive men with decent magical power levels that will be sure to bring new genes to the lower class Joyan women."

"You're right Halle. We should call this in and then . . ." before the mage could utter anymore words Virgo has effectively pulled her underground followed by the woman named Halle.

"How are you feeling Mr. Corba?" Virgo's unblinking eyes watched as the slayer was on his back staring up at the blue, cloudless sky.

"Cobra? You alright?" Xally asked the man as she slowly walked up to him, in case he startled easily.

"Why is the sky so blue today? How did the clouds get so white? When did birds learn to fly?"

"Holy fuck! He's fucking baked from whatever is in his bloodstream," Gajeel pulled himself out of the shadows, staggering a big from the leftover chemicals floating in the air. "Damn, now I know why those four were captured. This is some potent shit."

"Everyone alright?" Lucy asked as Zen landed with her and Mest. "Virgo, would you bring the two women up so Mest can alter their memories, please?"

"We weren't affected by whatever they was released. By the way, they didn't throw it at us, it was released when we hit a specific point a couple feet back," Emzadi stated as she looked around the forest. "I'd guess that the entire forest is rigged the same."

"Their memories have been wiped until shortly before we arrived and replaced with what they were doing before. Is Cobra going to be ok?"

"Give me a minute," the poison slayer stated as he put his head between his knees. "Fuck that shit was fuckin nasty, but the high from it was the most intense thing I've ever experienced." Lucy handed Erik a vial as he sunk his fangs into the leather lid and let the anti-venom fill the bottle. "Think you've got enough to work with Doc?"

"More than enough, thanks."

"Let's get the fuck outta here before we're caught," Zen muttered as the group of mages left the quiet forest.

"Lucy!" Wendy jumped up the minute golden flecks started to float in the air. "How'd it go?" Wendy's glowing hands were instantly on the blonde who was being held up by Zen.

"Went great, just a tad tired from the magic that was used."

"Juvia would like to know if the potions worked on Emzadi and Xally."

"Nothing happened. We were perfectly fine!" Xally smiled before she took off in the opposite direction.

"You'll have to forgive her, she's excited to get to her lab and recreate the anti-venom," Emzadi smiled as she watch Cobra make a bee-line for Evergreen. "He's sporting a real good high from earlier Ever, so he's going to probably be handsy if dealing with a moondrunk Cristoff has taught me anything."

"What do you mean hands . . ." Evergreen was caught off as Cobra's warm lips found her own, hands grabbing her ass and lifting her up so she could wrap her legs around his slim waist. Evergreen wasn't going to argue about how the high was making him want to touch and kiss her, she would let this play out and enjoy it.

"Get it girl," Emzadi cat called to the couple, as Cobra flipped her the bird causing the group to laugh. "Well now that we know that other women aren't affected that means we have a change in strategy.

"Yes, we do," Lucy smiled to Zen and Gajeel as they all left the room to work on their new plan of attack with what they had learned. Tomorrow they would take down the Joyan Warqueen and get their men back. Then life could settle back to normal and she would FINALLY be able to mate with Laxus.


	29. Chapter 29

White Sea had their plans all in place, the almost full moon was just starting to come out as the sky began to darken. Thankfully Mest didn't have to use his powers to make it look like an army of White Sea mages were looming off in the horizon because they would now be using that strategy for tonight. Every willing and able female mage would be the first line to go into enemy territory, tripping the system so the potions were released early. The second and third waves would contain the remaining men that would either be heading into the Warqueen's estate or help take out warriors in the surrounding area. Lucy's elite team of mages would be heading straight into the compound, to Vander since she could feel the strongest pull from him. After testing out his gate hopping abilities they discovered she could take up to eight other people with her, even if they didn't share a kin marking. After much debate, it was decided she'd be taking Zen, Emzadi, Wendy, Juvia, Cobra, Bickslow, Thane, and Gajeel.

They were currently waiting of the edge for Arman to give the order that the Boscan airships were in position so they could begin being teleported down by many of White Sea's talented mages. The Pradesh patriarch would be watching things from afar, relaying messages to the group via Angie a newer telepathic White Sea mage who was studying at the Academe Celestine. Arman was also going to be there for when White Sea defeated their enemy so he could try to work out a treaty with the Warqueen. Getting a foot in the door with Joya would be something to strive for once they had rescued the four missing men. Farron was staying in White Sea to man the guild since Thane had been tasked with assisting Lucy and Freed was there to help him along the way if needed.

Freed had been working around the clock with Xally to create an amulet that would absorb the toxins that may be thrown at the mages. Xally had been busy recreating the anti-venom for all the men to take and an antidote for the mages to carry on them just as a precaution. Arman had pulled a few strings to get the King of Seven to lend a couple of his talented alchemists to help Xally the past twenty-four hours, with the agreement they could take several samples with them and further study it. Arman agreed as long as he and Xally were privy to the information gathered. The King agreed to the terms and Thane went to pick up the two men and two women who made the antidote possible in such a short amount of time.

"We are all in place," Arman called to the mages aboard his aircraft. "Be safe!" He nodded as Lucy gathered her magic around her, searching for Vander as she let her thoughts of him consume her. In a blinding flash of gold, the nine mages were gone, Arman gave the order for all the teleport mages to start descending with the first wave of mages. Angie gave the go ahead and magic began to explode all around the aircraft and the night sky. Arman sent a silent prayer to the heavens as he waited for a positive outcome.

Lucy landed with her company in a white room, staggering slightly from the pull of her magic and carrying so many people. Zen held her upright as she gathered her bearings. She gasped when she saw a naked Vander strapped to a medical chair, several tubes hooked up to his arms. "Open, gate of the firebird, Phoenix. Can you check to see if Van is alright?" Lucy bit her lip as Nix ran his magic over Vander's entire body.

"They've been trying to drain his magic from him but they haven't been very successful. I can remove the lines they have in but it'll take some time. I'll need to ensure that each line disconnects with his magic properly and then heal the wounds. Solar dragon slayer, once I am done I want you to torch everything in this room."

"With fucking pleasure!" Emzadi's ears twitched as she turned her body to the door, taking a defensive position. Gajeel, Cobra, Bickslow, and Zen followed suit while Wendy was helping Nix heal Vander. Juvia, Thane, and Lucy stayed close to the two working on Vander as two Joyan women walked into the room, surprised to see someone else in there. Gajeel used the shadows to slam and lock the door behind the women, no need to let them sound an alarm. Emzadi and Zen launched themselves at the two women, swords clashing as they began to battle.

"Nix how's it going?" Lucy whispered to her spirit.

"I need at least ten more minutes, even with the sky dragon slayer helping it's taking more time than anticipated."

"Guess we have a little time to play around then," Emzadi smirked at Zen who smiled back at his sister. Lucy watched the four mages battle but it wasn't even that riveting since the dragon and the angel seemed to be faster and more precise in their movements. Lucy turned her attention back to Vander as she held his hand in her own, his mark flared brightly on his chest as the lines were pushed out of his skin allowing Nix and Wendy to heal him in record time.

"What the fuck was that?" Gajeel asked genuinely confused.

"Princess saved the shadowquip mage a while back and this mark is what protects him from himself and the shadows that try to consume him," Nix explained as he began to unstrap the magic cancelling belts that were holding Vander down. "I suspect that this mark is what was preventing them from siphoning off more of his magic and what's been protecting him. The skin on skin contact allowed the mark to absorb some of Lucy's raw energy and repel the last of the lines."

"Not exactly the skin on skin contact I want but I'll take what I can get from Stella," Vander uttered as he began to sit up slowly, pulling shadow clothes around his body.

"Idiot," Emzadi called as she finished off her opponent, Zen following suit. Both hugged their brother, happy that at least one of the three were now safe. "Do you want Thane to take you up to the ship? Dad's up there along with Xally and other medical mages."

"Give me five and I should be good to go," Vander cracked his neck before diving into Gajeel's shadow, replenishing magic that he'd lost the last while. "Let's find the other so we can get home. I am so looking forward to real food and sex, not necessarily in that order." The mages laughed at Vander, happy to have his spark in the group.  _Angie,_ Lucy called out to the mage,  _Can you let Arman know that we have Vander and aside from being hungry and horny he's perfectly fine._  Angie snorted and agreed to relay the message.

"I feel Cristoff off to the left of us and," Lucy hummed in thought, "and I think Kaleb is to the right of us. Split up into two teams, each with a slayer and a shadowquip mage. I want extra senses and someone who can get to the teams to communicate with them in a hurry."

"Vander, Juvia, Cobra, Emzadi, and Bickslow will head left in search of Cristoff," Zen stated while thinking about the best teams, "I'll go with Lucy, Wendy, Thane, and Gajeel and see what we can find on Kaleb. If no one hears from the other in an hour we'll send shadows or spirits to the other team to communicate." They all nodded in agreement and went their separate directions. Emzadi took the lead followed by Juvia, Cobra, Bickslow and Vander bringing up the rear. Vander has sent shadows out to see where Cristoff was being kept, but so far he hadn't any luck, they also hadn't run into anyone in the hallways they were travelling. It was too quiet and the group of five knew that nothing good would come of that.

Arman was getting reports in from the field mages, courtesy of Angie, and the women were fairing quite well thus far against the Joyan warriors in the forest that were guarding the main compound. A couple of injuries but no fatalities as he was gearing up waive two to head on in. Ensuring everyone had taken the anti-venom an hour before they headed into the field he was about to let Angie know to give the command when he heard her snort. Bright lavender eyes held laughter as he listened to what Lucy had just told her, a smile forming on his lips while his tense shoulders relaxed a bit. One down, three to go.

"Angie, please give the command for the second wave. Ensure they know what will happen if they do not take their anti-venom."

"Right away Ambassador," Angie smiled back as she relayed the information. Her telepathic magic was nowhere near as powerful as her guildmasters was, but then again he was a mindbender. Angie was good at relaying information hundreds of miles away to another person and distorting the truths people could see but there was no way she could turn a person's brain to mush. It just wasn't her style, so she had opted to do some training at the Academe in hopes of finding another use for her magic.

"Mest, how is the illusion holding up?" Arman asked the man who was staring out of one of the plane's small windows.

"It should be good for a while. I women at the outposts were knocked out so no alarms have been sounded, as of yet. I'm assuming that one of these mages in the forest will make it inside to give them a heads up before we can enter."

"I have mages starting to state that there is a magical barrier around the outside of the compound and they aren't able to get through."

"Tell them to hold their positions, Angie," Arman stated as he began to mull around some ideas. "Joya isn't known for their defensive mages so I doubt the barrier will be very strong, but what lies behind the barrier has me anxious. We haven't encountered that many strong mages in the forest which leaves me to believe they are inside, close to the Warqueen."

"We have a commotion in the forest," Angie bit her lip as she tried to listen to everyone shouting at her. "Some mages named Sting, Rogue, and Orga are here at the request of Gajeel." Arman raised an eyebrow, unfamiliar with the names.

"They're from Sabertooth in Fiore," Mest smirked knowing Gajeel had asked for help and not knowing who he'd get. "Light and dark dragon slayers as well as the lightning god slayer. All amazing mages, all on our team, and one of them can easily topple the barrier without using more magic than what's in their pinky."

"Tell White Sea to let them in to bring down the barrier." Angie did as Arman asked and within moments lightning was crackling along everyone's senses as the barrier fell. "I have to say that was impressive, granted he's still not on par with Laxus." Mest outright laughed at the ambassador's comment. "Hopefully we'll hear something soon from Lucy's team."

Vander's shadows were finally able to get a hit on Cristoff's location, so he and Emzadi traded places so he could lead the group and follow what his shadows were telling him. It was still awfully quiet so they were all on high alert as the weaved in and out of corridors. They had no idea what they were going to run into but the scene before them wasn't one they were expecting. Granted with the moon in the stage it was they shouldn't have been surprised to see dozens of women basking in the glow of Cristoff's overflowing magic. Cristoff was chained to a cross, the moonbeams causing his naked flesh to glow from the power he was absorbing. Women were pleasuring themselves or others as one of the Warqueens walked out in a black silk robe.

"How much of this is the moon and how much is the poisons you think?" Bickslow whispered to his siblings, both shook their head. "How many anti-venom vials are we going to have to put in him?"

"None," Cobra whispered as he observed everyone in the room. "There's a small stream running behind him, if Juvia can use her water magic to lift me up I will give it to him directly. Juvia, think you can . . . Juvia? Awe shit." Cobra looked out to see that Juvia was walking right up to the lunar dragon slayer, no one was paying her any attention as they were all caught up in their own sexual encounters.

"What the fuck do we do now?" Vander asked as they watched the bluenette.

"Nothing," Bickslow said with a sly smile on his face.

"Bro, what the hell?" Emzadi eyes glowed brightly as she glared at her brother.

"We do nothing. You want to see a fight than wait until that Warqueen advances on Cristoff." Bickslow was smiling happily as his babies laughed and twirled around his head. "Water woman strong. She cray-cray! She's gonna strip. Possessive. Gonna get her man." Cobra smiled as he realized just what Bickslow was getting at. Juvia may have changed her stalkerish ways when it came to guys after her incident with Gray but her ability to just know when the guy she was interested in was being encroached on by another female was uncanny. Cobra started to let off a small sleep spell, spreading it amongst the writhing women. He wasn't totally unaffected my Cristoff's moondrunk superpowers he was throwing off, actually, he was looking forward to tomorrow's full moon because he was going to get an extra dosage of dragon lust and Evergreen would be his by the end of the night.

"What do you think lunar dragon slayer? Are there enough women here to satisfy you for the next three night?" The Warqueen purred as she stood before the naked man.

"So many women yet not the right one," Cristoff whined in pain. He was painfully hard yet his dragon was going crazy because he just wanted their mate. His natural healing abilities were slowly starting to breakdown whatever the hell he had been injected with the last twenty-four hours but it wasn't fast enough. His dragon knew this wasn't right and to some small degree Cristoff knew too but the drugs were making him want a release, any release right this damn minute. 

"My poor Boscan dragon. You'll be mine by the end of the night, bound to me for all eternity."

"Not fucking likely!" A female voice raged as the Warqueen's eyes fell on a strange bluenette.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?"

"Juvia is here to get her mate back after you stole Cristoff from Juvia!" Blue eyes hardened as she took in the Warqueen before her. 

"I, Warqueen Lanni, will not allow you to do so because you'll be dead before you even reach the steps," she summoned the stone that was beneath her feet and began to build a fortress to hole herself away with the slayer while throwing pieces at the woman who dared defy her. 

"Ju . . . Juvia?" Cristoff looked at the second woman before him. Her long blue hair and matching eyes were so familiar to him yet he couldn't place her. His dragon's roar was fading into the background.

"Juvia will save you!" She dodged all the pieces of rock that were being tossed at her, slicing through some here and there. She heard the other woman cackle as the last piece formed around the two of them. Random pieces were still coming her direction, keeping her at arm's length as she continued to try to get closer to save her mate. 

"Do we go help her?" Emzadi asked as she took a step forward only to have Bickslow grab her elbow.

"I wouldn't do that right now if I were you sis. Juvia is just getting warmed up." Bickslow watched as Juvia became angrier by the second before she pulled the water from the stream and encased the stone dome before her. The water soon disappeared within the cracks of the water, a female scream sounding from within its confines before the entire thing blew apart. Lanni was flung across the floor, sliding a ways from all the extra water as Juvia strode up to Cristoff. She summoned a ball of water, they stared in awe as it changed from blue to white as she pressed it into Cristoff's chest, spreading it throughout his body and pulling it out through his feet. They water black with the toxins it had cleared from his blood and when Cristoff opened his eyes they were their normal dark blue with silver specks glowing in the moonlight. 

"Juvia has been training with Xally plus," he smirked as he watched his brother and guildmate, "Cristoff isn't the only one who pulls power from the full moon."

"You bitch!" A dripping wet Lanni stood up, pointing a finger at Juvia. "He is mine! He was promised to me so that I could carry on a strong female heir with his bloodline. Clanborn and a dragon slayer, you can't get any more powerful than that."

"Lanni is wrong. Cristoff is Juvia's mate and Juvia plans to be his as soon as we are home." Cristoff eyes went wide as she spoke. She had been hesitant to let him do much of anything besides kissing her and the odd ass groping here and there. He wasn't sure what changed but damn if he wasn't impressed by everything she was doing right now. He felt shadows wrap around his legs as pants began to form, looking around for Vander he spotted his brother along with Emzadi, Cobra, and Bickslow. "Juvia will only give Lanni one warning. Leave Cristoff alone and Juvia won't have to hurt her."

"Don't make me laugh. What is a mediocre water mage like yourself going to so against a powerful stone mage such as myself." Lanni pulled several stones to her, circling her above her head.

"Juvia will show you what a White Sea mage can do!" Dozens of small spheres of water formed in front of her and she got into a battle stance. Soon stones were being shattered by Juvia's water spheres that were turned into thin blades to slice through what was being thrown at him. After Lanni's third time using that attack Juvia became bored and sunk into the water that was covering the floor. Lanni began to panic as she waited for the woman to show herself again, instead, she felt something grasp her ankles as she was flung into a wall. Juvia's head popped up from the water, causing the Warqueen to shriek in fear before Juvia slapped magic cancelling cuffs on the woman.

"Juvia did try to warn you." The bluenette waited a couple seconds before a chime sounded and Virgo stepped through the gate to collect to Warqueen. "Juvia thanks you, Virgo."  

"Of course, Miss Juvia." The maid spirit bowed as she left in a shower of golden sparkles.

"Damn Juvia!" Vander whistled as they came out from the doorway they were watching everything from. "Glad I didn't have to fight you when a full moon was out for your ranking test, feel like I would have had more of an issue otherwise." Juvia blushed at Vander's compliment as she felt familiar arms circle her waist, spinning to face Cristoff. His eyes shone with pride and happiness as he held her. Juvia pulled Cristoff's head down as her lips slammed against his own in a fierce kiss, one that Cristoff reciprocated in kind.

"Do we need to pull them off each other?" Bickslow asked as they watched Cristoff lift Juvia up by the ass, her legs winding around his waist.

"Shadow pants my dear brother. No way he'll be getting those off anytime soon," Vander cackled as he heard his brother growl at him. "Sorry bro, but I need to be a cock block tonight, we still need to find Kaleb and Laxus. Otherwise, I'd whisk the two of you off somewhere remote to fuck each other's brains out for the next week." 

"Juvia is sorry she's a distraction. The moon usually makes Juvia have a power burst but the other strong . . . feelings are new to Juvia."

"That be my pull from the moon. Tends to make other people's libido's extra lusty, but I am quite liking how it looks on you, my mate." Cristoff chastely kissed her then tucked her into his side. "How did you get Virgo here?" 

"Oh, Lucy amened Virgo's contract so that Juvia could call Virgo to help with the bad guys, just for this mission. What happened to all the other women?"

"Cobra put them all to sleep, so I doubt they'll be moving anytime soon," Bickslow snorted as he fist bumped the poison slayer. 

"Will be lucky if they wake up in the next five days. However, we really need to find Tink and the others. Shadow boy, you got any leads?" 

"I'm all man, I'd show you if you weren't so wrapped up in the fairy queen, but yes I do. Lucy got separated from the group who has Kaleb now, Wendy is just healing him. I'm sure he'll reach out soon and then we can be on our way."

"Juvia thinks something is not right."

"What do you mean? Emzadi asked the woman was taking comfort in her brother's arms. 

"Juvia is going to assume that Sydelle wasn't with Kaleb, even though Sydelle has been after Kaleb since Kaleb was young." Everyone nodded their heads as she continued, "Which means Sydelle has lured Lucy away and the only lure Sydelle has is . . ."

"Laxus," the group breathed out, faces becoming serious as they all started to follow Vander to where Kaleb was at. They were all interested in knowing what happened to Lucy and knew they needed to save her before the selfless celestial mage did something that would get herself killed. 


	30. Chapter 30

Gajeel was leading the group, his shadows ahead of him as they were investigating every nook and cranny. He was eagerly waiting to get back to Pelerno and take up the offer to work with Vander and better learn to control his shadows. Being an iron slayer all of that came quite easy to him but the shadows were something else entirely that he wanted to get locked down so that nothing would ever happen to him like what happened to future Rogue. Hopefully, the twin knuckleheads from Sabertooth had made it into Joya without too much of an issue. With Yukino and Sting mating, Rogue had been cast to the outside recently, but he had a feeling Vander would love to be around the moody slayer even if it was just for his magic abilities.

Wendy was second since she was hoping to pick up Kaleb's scent as they weaved their way through the building. She had been wrestling with her dragon over the powerful mindbender mage ever since he placed the guild mark on her skin. Her dragon was claiming that he as their mate but Wendy was in deep denial over it. How could someone as young and inexperienced, well a little more experienced thanks to her Suddepah lessons, be able to hold the attention of a Wizard Saint who had several degrees and managed to run Ishgar's largest guild? Regardless she'd had to sit the handsome blonde man down and talk to him about this, once they were safe at home and everything was stable.

Lucy was in the middle and had called forth the hunting dogs to go ahead and to see what they could dig up, Thane followed her and Zen was bringing up the rear. Zen was hoping that his brothers and good friend were all alright, that Joya hadn't deeply scared them too much. Granted Kaleb and Cristoff had both put up with Kurino from time to tome so they did have some tolerance for it all. The potions and sexual highs that Cobra had explained to them were what he was worried about. He and Bickslow had had several conversations around whose souls were reaching to who so he was right to be worried about Kaleb and Wendy. He was worried about Lucy because they didn't know how much more hurt her soul could bare after years of abuse.

"They've found Kaleb," Lucy whispered to the group as she stopped, waiting for the rest of the intel to come through. "First hall to the left, fifth door on the right. He's naked and there are three women in there working on him but they're complaining he hasn't come yet. They're getting ready to pump more of that shit into his bloodstream!"

"Over my dead fucking body!" Zen charged forward, following the instructions Lucy had stated and kicked the door down before entering. His eyes narrowed as he saw the magic cancelling cuffs on his brother's wrists and ankles. He heard a hard growl to his right, Wendy's eyes were flashing from brown to pink as she tried to reign in her dragon. One of the women went for the alarm on the wall and Wendy sent a blast of air at it, exploding it before the woman could touch it.

"We need to take these two mages down before Warqueen Zella and Carina arrive. They are the first to breed him and then he'll be kept in the room until after Sydelle is done with the blonde. She wants to breed with him first," the darker haired women whispered to the two lighter-haired women.

"Step away from him, NOW!" Wendy's deep voice left no room for argument, and the Joyan women each took a step back, waiting on the defensive to see what their uninvited company was about to do. They weren't expecting to very large dogs to pass through a golden gate, jaws locking on the closest body parts they could reach. Screams of pain filled the room before a gate opened up on the floor and all five beings were gone.

"Bunny you ok?" Gajeel's red eyes scanned her panting form as she waved him off.

"Gaj," Wendy called from inside the room. "Can you bite through these chains? Zen's wings keep getting repelled due to some kind of spell." Gajeel started munching on the chains, purring over the fact that they were pure iron. Thane entered the room, hovering beside his master's head, appalled by the state he was in. He had at least a dozen puncture wounds on his arms from where they had pumped him full of their drugs, lacerations across his torso since he wasn't able to heal himself, and since he had no way of knowing what mental state he was in currently.

The minute the last chain fell Zen and Wendy were on him, healing hands glowing as they worked together to heal the physical wounds. Lucy had Nix out working, his hands glowing golden as he placed them on either side of Kaleb's head.

"What the hell are you doing in here!" a tall, dark-skinned women demanded as she walked into the room alone. "Queen Sydelle figured you were all within the compound but I didn't think you'd be here already. Such a shame I'll have to kill you all before I take the mindbender's body." Zen and Gajeel turned to face the Warqueen, eyes focusing on her as fire magic danced across her skin.

"Think it's as hot as Natsu's or Emzadi's?" Lucy whispered to Wendy who giggled as she finished healing Kaleb. "How's his mind, Nix?"

"He's buried himself within several well-guarded walls, an attempt to protect his mind and shut down everything that was happening to him," Nix answered, his eyes closed as focused. "Thane, place your hand on his guild mark, so familiarity should help. You've been by his side for years so hopefully, it'll speed things up." Nix wasn't wrong either. Thane had been beside Kaleb for a decade now, after meeting one day on the training field due to being partnered for a spar. Kaleb had won but the two of them had become the best of friends, getting into mischief at the estate more times than he could count. He watched with pride as Kaleb earned the right to be the Master of White Sea, immediately appointing Thane to be his assistant.

Kaleb and Thane had a working relationship and a strong friendship but they had never shared pleasure, neither had felt the need with one another. Kaleb was there when he Promised with his now wife and was in the delivery room minutes after their firstborn came into the world. He would be there as well when his second was born in a few short months. White Sea was everything to him and Kaleb had given him a home, something he'd never had growing up. Thane had bounced from family member to family member after he lost his parents, never staying in one spot for more than three months. When he exhibited magical capabilities he had been put into the young mages housing and left in the care of the guild.

 _I am glad to have met you that too, my friend._  Thane's eyes widened as he waited for Kaleb's eyes to open.  _I'm going to need a few yet, even with Nix helping me navigate everything I am still sluggish._

"He's alright. He just needs a few moments." Thane's smile was infectious as everyone else started to smile as well. Gajeel and Zen sent their swords through the woman's chest, pinning her to the wall. Lightning cracked through the air, throwing Gajeel and Zen through a wall, as a shorter woman walked into the room, head held high.

"Rest in peace sister Zella," the woman said as she closed her fellow Warqueen's eyes. "I see we have been interrupted, mindbender. I am very glad to see the bluenette with you though, makes thing so much easier when you are both in the same room."

"What are you talking about?" Wendy bristled as the woman was clearly addressing her.  _She was the one who sent a bounty on your head. Wanted you to be trained here in Joya as one of her lieutenants and breed to her son who is also a talented lightning mage working as the head chef._  Kaleb couldn't help the anger in his voice as he spoke to Wendy, who had reached a hand back placing it on his still naked thigh.  _Wendy, not that I don't adore having you touch me like this but you're not helping the situation._

"Thane," Wendy addressed the mage, "take Kaleb up to his sister so she can purge everything else from his system, please."  _Wendy don't . . . Kaleb, you need this and I can't protect you as I want too with you in the same room. Once Xally gives you go ahead you can help us finish this but until then . . . shoo._  Kaleb laughed in her head as her dragon growled for their mate to go.

Thane helped Kaleb to stand, watching his master's eyes widen as he stared at the young woman before them. She smirked at him, wind picking up around her as her eyes began to glow pink which matched her long wavy hair. Kaleb blinked and found himself in the airship, Arman was hugging him before ushering Xally over to them. They were all talking animatedly around him as Xally's cool magic began to sweep him from head to toe and back again several times. Wendy was his . . . mate? Well, that was shocking as hell. He knew the woman was interested in him and he'd have to be blind to not see that she was an attractive dragoness, but mates . . . that floored him.

"Just focus on resting for now," Arman smiled down at his son. "I'm sure you'll have a lot of time to go over everything." Xally looked back and forth from her dad to her brother, curious about what he was referring too.

"You should be fully flushed here shortly. How's your head doing? The big one?" She smirked as Kaleb's rolled his eyes, smiling slightly.

"I'm good, nothing but a dull headache but I'm sure that has more to do with my own mental safeguards than anything else. Have you heard from anyone else?"

"Vander was the first one they found and Cristoff not too long ago. Not sure if he's been rescued yet or not since Vander was cackling to Angie about a bluenette having a dark streak." Kaleb frowned at that, wondering what story would be there when they had time to meet up. "We were also joined by several other strong mages from the Sabertooth guild in Fiore, thanks to Gajeel asking for assistance. They have made our entrance into the building quite successful."

"Ambassador, Vander would like you to know that promise papers will need to be ready before the full moon tomorrow night. Something about how the moon is going to cause massive waves," Angie was utterly confused but relayed the message anyways. The three Pradesh's starting laugh, leave it up to Vander lighten the mood no matter where they are at.

"Any word from Wendy's team?" Angie reached out to the group of mages. "Zen says that they took out Warqueen Zella and that Wendy is taking on Warqueen Carina. They're evenly matched but Wendy is fighting full dragon force, something about how she was to be the woman's slave tipper little blue over the edge."

"Carina was the one who put a price on Wendy's head and drug her into the human trafficking ring we put an end too," Kaleb explained, hands fisting at his sides wishing he could be down there with her. "Wendy didn't take too kindly to finding that bit out and was about to pick a fight with the woman before she demanded Thane bring me up here."

"Smart woman," Xally whispered as Kaleb smacked her shoulder.

"Zen said that Carina deals in lightning magic and between that and Wendy's sky magic they are tearing the place apart," Angie relayed to the family.

"I'm tapping into the family line," Kaleb announced to those around him.  _How's everyone doing?_  There were a course of cheers and Kaleb's throughout the line.  _Figured it'd be easier to check in with everyone from in the airship and yes I am fine, Xally has made sure of that. Zen, can you show us what's happening?_ Zen showed them what he was able to see which Wendy slamming a foot into the Warqueen's chest and kicking her through a wall.  _Damn, lil blue must have been hanging around Cosplayer too much because that kick was deadly._

They watched as Wendy called out her Sky Dragon Secret Art, Shattering Light: Sky Drill. Wendy stood in a wide stance, spreading her arms wide and causing a fast wind barrier to form, which surrounded them, preventing Carina from escaping. She moved her arms in a counter-clockwise direction, causing the wind wall to contract inwards around her enemy, sending them flying upwards into the air and crashing back down to the ground. Wendy jumped, lifting her feet and unleashed large winds the moment her leg swung down at Carina, calling out Sky Dragon's claw, effectively ending the Warqueen's reign.

The Pradesh family was impressed by how much Wendy had grown since her ranking battle. They watched as Wendy's hair turned back to its natural dark shade of blue, she looked back at Zen falling to her knees.  _Wendy!_  Kaleb had called through the family line, Thane immediately went down, scooped the slayer up, and brought her aboard the aircraft. Wendy was frowning as she was handed over to Kaleb, eyes still tinged pink.

"My dear girl, what's wrong?" Arman asked as he was listening to Wendy's confused soul.

"Did anyone see Lucy? When I looked back she wasn't in the room with the others," Wendy's eyes started to fill with tears. "You don't think she went after Laxus herself, do you? Sydelle has him! It's a trap for sure!" Kaleb held Wendy close as tears started to run down her cheeks, stinging slightly from the scratches that were on them.  _Lucy? Has anyone seen Lucy? She's blocked me out I can't get a read on her. Anyone else?_ Kaleb asked everyone who had recently interacted with the celestial mage, all of which came up with a resounding no.  _We're on our way to the others, so maybe Vander can feel her though that weird as mark she gave him. It's how she found him in the first place._  Cobra suggested as they hustled through the pathways.  _She's being blocked from me too, so she's either doing it herself or she's in a room where no magic can enter._  Either answer didn't bode well for the group who would wait to meet up before figuring out how the hell they were going to find Lucy and Laxus.


	31. Chapter 31

Lucy had been watching Wendy kick ass against the Warqueen Carina when she felt an urging tug on her magic. It wasn't one of her spirits and everyone, except Laxus, had been rescued so if she had to guess it must have been Sydelle or one of her underlings. Lucy knew that it was a trap, knew she shouldn't leave the safety of the group but she needed to face her . . . Aunt. She had a plan, a high stakes one, but it was already a matter of life and death so might as well make the gamble.

While everyone was enthralled in Wendy's battle she managed to sneak out through the wall by using her newfound gate magic. The first thing she did was put an extra barrier around her mind, normally Kaleb would be able to break through but she was hoping he wasn't quite up to the task. With four dragon slayers and Vander around she knew they'd be hot on her heels, eventually. Plus Cristoff was getting amped up on moon juice so really her plan boiled down to the possibility she'd have fifteen minutes. The hunting dogs appeared beside her, ready to guide her to where Laxus was being held. She'd kept the, out after Kaleb had been found and sent them in search of her mate.

"Princess, we have found the blonde dragon with a strange woman," the shorter of the spirit dogs stated. "Her magic feels funny, similar to yours yet tainted and hidden? Not sure if it makes sense but it's how we feel, so please be careful."

"I will be as careful as I can be," Lucy kissed the two dogs on their foreheads before following them a short way to where the moody blonde man was at. She quietly pushed open the door and slunk in behind some greenery, trying to stay hidden. When she came to an oval part of the room her hands were on her mouth to hold in the gasp that was wanting to escape. Laxus was naked, chained to a table with a woman stroking his erect cock. He was thrashing trying to move away from her, growling and cursing the woman. Lucy took a deep breath and Horologium started a countdown to when the hypothetical arrival of everyone else would be.

"Alright Gemini, you know the drill. Copy me as I am now, including scent and magical power while Scutum shields my magical energy and his."

"Piri, piri!" The spirits turned into the exact replica of their keyholder. "I will make sure I get her talking and clock man wanted me to tell you that Thane grabbed Presca and you have roughly five minutes before they arrive." Lucy frowned at that, forgetting about the energy tracking mage that was Vander' partner. Oh well, guess they'd just hear all the shitty stuff about her past then. Not much sense in trying to keep it hidden anyways since Kaleb would drag it out of her anyways if she survived.

Lucy brushed Scutum's key, letting him know that she needed to go undetected magically as well as be unseen by everyone around her. She felt him respond in kind and hoped that this would work since they'd never tried anything like it before. Gemini Lucy was going to get herself "caught" so that the real Lucy could study her opponent better, get a real understanding this Queen Sydelle. Gemini was slinking around the shrubbery before they were tossed out into the open by one of the guards walking around.

 _Your friends have encountered some Joyan warriors on their way to you, Princess. There's only a dozen of them so I doubt they will be more than a couple minutes in dispatching them._  Lucy thank Horologium as she slowly made her way around the back of the room to get a better view of what was about to happen. Hopefully, nothing happened to Gemini, she really didn't want to blow her cover but definitely would if it meant keeping her spirit safe.

"You will wait until the High Warqueen arrives. She wishes to meet you before she hands you your punishment." Lucy looked curiously at the woman talking to Gemini, the one who had been with Laxus. Lucy had to stomp down her rage over that, cool the burning sensation in her veins. Her counterpart stood in front of the warrior, a glare in her eyes, as she patiently waited for the woman to arrive.  _They've hit another wall of warriors before the doors to this room, the number has tripled, estimating another seven minutes until entering._

"If it isn't Miss Lucy Heartfilia here in my humble home, here to rescue her beloved dragon mate. Well, almost mate. Forgive my rudeness though, I am High Warqueen Sydelle and I have been waiting for your arrival. Your friends are making quick work of my foot soldiers, inside and outside the compound, I am impressed."

"You should hand over Laxus before you meet the same end."

"Foolish girl, you'll never be able to battle one as great as I. I've spent years climbing my way to the top, fighting to secure my position of power and no weak, celestial mage will be able to take it from me." The woman circled Gemini Lucy as if waiting for something to happen. Sydelle clapped her hands three times, the sound echoing around the room before the walls became transparent. Both Lucy's looked around to see her family and friends fighting warriors, they weren't being pushed back but they weren't gaining either. "They will watch as I claim your mate as my own, watch you fall to pieces as I break you, laughing while I take your life for my own."

"Why? Why go through all this trouble just to get back at White Sea or me?" Gemini Lucy asked with a trembling lip, pretending to be scared and weak. Lucy watched as Vander tried to enter the room only to be repelled by an invisible wall. They had finished with the warriors and were all standing before the barrier that had been erected.

"They can see and hear everything that transpires here. The look on their faces when I kill you will be most rewarding." Sydelle walked up to Laxus, hand running over his chest and abs. "Such an attractive man you've caught the eye of, he will bring powerful daughters into this world."

"I can't hear them," Gemini Lucy stated as they looked at everyone yelling at her, pleading looks in their eyes.

"We can't have them yelling any hopeful words at you, trying to make you think you have a chance of winning. Once my magic is fully restored they won't be able to stop me anyways and I will take them all as my prizes. Kaleb will be my personal slave while the other men will be given to the new Warqueens or they'll enter the breeding program for the other Joyan warriors."

"And Laxus? What are your plans with him?"

"Oh, he'll be given to my nieces who are just entering their prime childbearing years. He'll be rotated between the six of them for as long as they would like to keep him around."

"You do realize that dragon slayers have a high rate of male children, right?"

"Yes, that is why I plan on changing our ranks. Right now we buy, mainly Boscan, men from the slave markets but if we are able to raise strong men within our ranks, who are born and raised in this culture, then there won't be the uprisings we have now." Sydelle smiled at the blonde woman who looked appalled by the idea.

"So why target Kaleb? Why kill me?"

"Kaleb was to be mine from the beginning," Sydelle's eye's darkened as she glowered at Gemini Lucy. "You, my dear girl, are going to give me my magic back. You see after I killed Layla Heartfilia the Spirit King stripped me of my own celestial magic so by draining you of your magic I will attain my status again. I will reign supreme over all celestial magic!"

"Dark celestial magic!"

"Not dark, child, black! Dark guilds and mages have the ability to change back to the light, why I will never know. Black celestial magic is so much more than anyone knows and while my dear sister chose the light I mastered the black. Spells, specific keys, ancient relics, I have been around it all, controlling it as long as I had my magic. The Spirit King will fear me when I take your keys and any other mage who has keys I will be truly unstoppable!" Both Lucy's were wide-eyed as the looked upon the crazy Warqueen while her friends banged their hands on the invisible shield around the room.

Sydelle picked Gemini Lucy up by the throat before tossing her a ways away. She pulled two small swords from their sheaths on her legs, running the broad side over Laxus' chest, laughing at his roar of rage. He was still deliciously hard and she couldn't wait to stake her claim over the dragon slayer. She looked up to find her niece gone. There was no way the brat could have gotten out of the dome, she had specifically set it up so that their bloodline couldn't exit.

"Sydelle!" Lucy yelled as she walked into the open, "I challenge you for the title High Warqueen!"

"Don't be absurd you stupid girl," a random warrior yelled at Lucy. "Only blood relations or Warqueen Royalty can initiate a challenge!" She was about to continue her rant when Sydelle held up her hand to silence the woman.

"Unfortunately this weakling is a blood relation, she is my niece, the last of two noble families."

Arman's head was spinning as he listened in to what Kaleb was sharing with those that were close to Lucy on the airship. Sydelle was Lucy's aunt, a celestial mage, and the woman behind Layla's death. Arman and Ganier had been close friends with Layla, both women being celestial mages, he was devastated by the loss of Layla. She had been a constant in his life when Ganier had died in the fire, helping him with soothing words and a bright smile. Jude had come to see him once, told him that Lucy would not be practicing magic for as long as he was alive and that his guardianship of Lucy was terminated. It had been a rough day but Arman had respected Jude's decision, even if he felt it was the wrong one.

Now, Lucy had issued a challenge to the Warqueen, one that might very well be the death of her. Sydelle had years of combat experience on Lucy and just as much magical technique even if she wasn't currently practicing. He tried to understand what she was thinking, why she thought this was the best way to go ahead with this plan.

"Kaleb, can you read Lucy's thoughts?" Kaleb shook his head no.

"I can't read anyone's thoughts inside that protective barrier." Arman looked around at the crew, knew they were gaining ground in the compound.

"Thane, you will take Kaleb down to the others. Working with your family you might be able to find a weakness in the barrier and bring it down before it's too late." Kaleb moved Wendy into Arman's arms, sleeping peacefully after her own battle with Warqueen Carina. Kaleb was hesitant to leave her alone, was ever so slowly coming to terms with the whole idea of being her mate.

"Kaleb," his family looked at him with worry in their eyes. "What do we do?"

"We assess the situation and find a way to bring down this damn barrier. We need to get Laxus sorted out before his dragon tears him apart from the inside. He's not doing well under the concoction of drugs that he's been placed on."

"Juvia could cover the dome in water, that way we know how large the barrier is." Kaleb nodded to the woman who started to push her water around the dome, leaving an opening for everyone to see what was going on.

"Zen, fly above and see if you can see any weak points in the structure. Freed go with him." The two mages took off. "Emzadi and Cobra, I want you to work on weakening the foundation, maybe we can tunnel in from the ground. The rest of you I want your surround the shield and attack it, see if we can cause any ripples for Zen and Freed to exploit, but don't use too much of your magic. Remember, Lucy and Laxus are still in there." The mages set to do their guild master's bidding, firing attacks of all kinds at the shield.

Lucy looked around as White Sea tried to help her and Laxus, tried to stop her from doing what needed to be done. She eyed Sydelle, who was still holding her two short swords waiting to see who'd make the first move. Lucy had studied all she could, knew she'd have to rely heavily on her spirits to help her out and hopefully, she'd pull this off the way she wanted too. It might be foolish, slightly insane, but if it could save everyone she cared about then it was worth the risk. She wasn't sure how much Sydelle knew about her, wasn't sure if she was aware of what keys she held, spells she could use, or star dress forms. Lucy hoped that she only knew about what was televised at the Grand Magic Games a few years ago, plus no-one really knew about her star dress abilities besides the guild. She didn't exactly parade around in those forms.

"Challenge accepted! I will make your defeat quick so that I am able to acquire your magic in a timely fashion." Sydelle charged Lucy head-on, slashing a sword across the front of her body which Lucy narrowly had time to move out of the way. Lucy called Leo out, she was going to have to use her best close range fighters for this battle. Leo kept Sydelle occupied enough for Lucy to get a message to Virgo about tunnelling a pathway under the floor to her guildmates. She cried out as Loke was flung into her, sending the duo flying while Sydelle chuckled.

"At least try to impress me. I'm not even breaking a sweat." Lucy kept Loke out and adorned her Taurus star dress, using her spirits brute strength to fight against her aunt. Sydelle looked at Lucy in awe, never had any celestial mage been able to use the magic that she was displaying. The spirits had to trust in their keyholder one hundred percent in order to lend them their magic and not abuse it. Not to mention it took a lot of magic in order to keep the star dress going plus having spirits draw from the celestial mage's magic reserves. Her niece wasn't as weak as she had originally thought.

Lucy attacked first this time, throwing rapid punches as Sydelle who was easily blocking them but she couldn't escape a Lucy Kick to the ribs that had her careening into a stone pillar. Lucy could feel the magic of the barrier wavering, knew it was only a matter of time before White Sea mages were flooding the room. Sydelle grabbed Lucy's waist, tackling her to the ground before bringing a sword down. Lucy blocked it with the sudden summoning of her axe before pushing Sydelle off of her. Lucy was bleeding from the small nick on her chest from not pulling her weapon up soon enough.  _Princess, the tunnel had been established as you wished and the lunar dragon slayer is making his way to Laxus with Miss Juvia to heal Laxus. I've collapsed as they entered so no one else could follow but they are very close to breaking the barrier and eroding the fountain on their own._ Lucy swung her axe around her head before bringing it down on Sydelle who blocked it with her two swords crossed in front of her.

Sydelle was starting to panic, never had she encountered a warrior who could best her especially when using her own type of magic against her. She pushed Lucy away from her, desperate to end this and claim her victory. She couldn't bring other warriors into the battle, they would think she was weak and would demand her to step down. However, she needed to win. Needed her magic recovered. Lucy summoned Gemini back then and had them transform to go up against their opponent.

"How? How did your spirit copy me!"

"Gemini copied you when you lifted them up by the throat earlier. Without your own magic, and with mine being the strongest its ever been, it wasn't hard to trick you into thinking that was the real me earlier. Gemini knows everything about you, maybe even more than you know about yourself. How you and my mother were inseparable growing up but when you were ten, and my mother eight, you were taken to Pergrande where you were to be a slave. You lasted all of three months before your predecessor found you, bought you and trained you to become a black celestial mage. The two of you did an ancient blood oath, making you a blood relation so you could inherit the crown since your new mother was unable to bear children. Your final test was to kill my mother, as a show of loyalty to the High Warqueen at the time, couldn't risk you switching sides one day."

"You don't know what it's like to be captured and caged, never knowing if someone was looking for you or not. High Warqueen Gena raised me to be a warrior, to keep on fighting no matter the odds against you. I dominated all my classes and didn't hesitate to devise a way to end my sister's life, a woman who married rich after our parents left her everything. My only regret was not killing you when you were younger." The two women charged at each other, exchanging blow after blow, Sydelle doing well against two opponents. Lucy was bleeding in several spots on her arms and legs but Sydelle wasn't fairing much better either. Joyan warriors were gathered outside the barrier, as it creaked and groaned, cheering for their Warqueen. Lucy could feel her magic beginning to dip, she'd used a lot of it today so she sent Gemini back to conserve some the rest of it.

"You've got this Lucy!" She blocked another blow but felt a smile tug on her lips. Laxus was alright! She wanted nothing more than to look at him but that'd mean turning away from Sydelle.  _Lucy, you know what you have to do. This isn't something you can back down from now, especially with her warriors watching everything._  Kaleb spoke to her as he was helping the first three waves of mages who had entered the building, directing them as needed. Lucy's stomach churned at what he was saying, it was the truth though, and after everything she had done to them, it was within her ability as a White Sea mage to finish it all. Still, the idea of actually ending someone's life with her own hands made her nervous. Lucy changed into her Cancer star dress, pulling out two scissored blades from their resting place on her back. She met Sydelle's wide eyes with her confident ones, exchanging a few more blows before Lucy caught Sydelle's side, her wound bled freely. Sydelle dropped to one knee, her weapons clanked to the floor as she held her side.

"How could one as weak as you, defeat me?"

"Because I'm not weak." Tears filled Lucy's eyes, wishing it didn't have to come to this as she plunged the blade into Sydelle's chest, whispering a final farewell to the woman. She watched as the barrier finally fell, the warrior fell to their knees in a bow to their new High Warqueen. Lucy blinked several times as they stood chanting her name, she wasn't expecting that outcome. One Joyan walked over to her, a small smile on her face, as she presented Lucy with an intricate rose gold crown and placed it on her head. Cheers rang out amongst the crowd.

"Please bring me all the Warqueen's," Lucy ordered as kindly as she could.

"I am the only one left alive, High Warqueen Lucy. My name is Warqueen Angeline Custos." Lucy walked over to the woman and extended her hand in which Angeline grasped her forearm in greeting.

"We have much to talk about but first I need you to have this place cleared up, the dead burned and the injured looked after." Lucy was extremely tired, felt what little strength she had left slowly starting to leave as her adrenaline dropped.  _Kaleb, I think now would be a really good time to bring your Dad into work on some new peace treaties._  The mindbender mage smiled, nodding towards Lucy.  _I think you have a dragon that needs to be tamed first. We can handle everything here until you're finished._  Lucy heard Kaleb laugh in her head as she mentally rolled her eyes, but he wasn't wrong. Even she could feel the turmoil Laxus was in over all of this. "Tell me where my room is, please." Angeline gave her the directions as Laxus scooped Lucy off, leaving everyone to their own devices.

Lucy wanted to look around the room but Laxus had other ideas as he set her on the table, lips attacking her neck. "We need to talk Laxus." Her mind yelled at her to stop this but her body, her body told her she needed this connection they had been skirting around for so long.

"We have all the time in the world to talk. I need you, my dragon needs you. We've been hard for so long and want you even more than I had before. Those other vile women touching me weren't you. You're all I've ever wanted, needed." Laxus said between kisses as he stripped Lucy of her clothes, his own clothes still missing from when he was naked and strapped down. He was going on instinct with Lucy, driven to claim the woman as his own. Laxus' hands found Lucy's breasts while his fingers coaxed her nipples to hard little nubs as they ached with every pinch, her clit began to throb as she thrust her hips forward with the arousal that was building.

"What do you want, my mate?" he asked as she licked her lips and motioned downward with her eyes.

"Taste me," Lucy breathily answered. He smiled and licked his lips, leaning forward as he pulled her panties to the side. Her clit was so engorged it peeked out above the folds of her pussy and he exhaled, his hot breath skimming over it and she gasped at how good it felt. Suddenly his warm breath was replaced by a wet tongue as swirled it in little circles down one side of Lucy's pussy and then up the other, never quite dipping it inside. It was just hard enough that the pressure of every swirl made its way right to her clit. Lucy wanted to feel Laxus' cock inside her. Fuck, she needed to have his cock deep within her seeping pussy.

Lucy looked down, pleading with her eyes for him to make her come, but he just smiled and kept eye contact with me before he plunged his tongue inside of her. Lucy was riding on the edge of her first oral orgasm from her mate, sparking a deep desire to ride his large cock until he was calling her name. Her legs tingled and twitched as he took her closer to the edge, then backed away teasing her to where she whimpered in desperation.

"Yes," Lucy gasped looking at the ceiling, "Please, please let me come."

"Ah, but we cannot have that yet," he answered, stopping the wonderful tonguing he had been giving her only to be replaced by one of Laxus' long fingers. He slid it inside her wet core as she clenched her pussy around it, making him smirk. He curled it upward and found her g-spot causing Lucy to gasp and throw her head back moaning in delight. Laxus lowered his head to her pulsing clit and blew on the sensitive nub. First, it was one finger massaging that spot, then two as Lucy floated away on a pleasured high as Laxus' fingers coaxed more from her body. Lucy's body quivered as she arched her back to feel the palm of Laxus' hand push against her clit.

Lucy pinched her own nipples as Laxus continued his torture below. Not giving her any notice he pulled her clit inside his mouth and suckled on it. She lost control as Lucy felt wave after wave of pure bliss pulse up her legs and throughout her body. She thrusted her hips against Laxus who was still eagerly sucking on her clit. Her legs were splayed wide, her body humming with the anticipation of Laxus' cock pushing into her sweet folds. Lucy looked down, their eyes met.

"What would you like me to do next, beautiful mate of mine?" he asked is a husky tone. Lucy was still coming down from her orgasm but knew exactly what she wanted.

"Fuck me," she begged as Laxus put his hands on either side of Lucy's hips to bring her closer to the edge of the table before he slowly slid his pulsing cock between the wet folds.

"Oh god," Lucy moaned, closing her ' smile was decadent, his eyes filled with lust, and the soft skin of Laxus' hard cock against her sex was having its intended effect. Laxus' moans grew to match hers as he began to glide in and out, her pussy pulled him further inside. He threw his head back at the sensation, inch by glorious inch he pushed his cock inside of her and each time she squeezed her pussy around him. Laxus pulled one of Lucy's long legs over his shoulder as he began to plunge harder and faster into her.

"Oh yesss…" she hissed. Laxus' thumb found her clit, circling it as he fucked her. Lucy's fingers rolled her nipples as she felt herself climbing another mountain of pleasure, hoping that this time Laxus would join her. Lucy looked up at him as they watched each other's pleasure grow. Laxus' cock was even harder now and she was drenched with arousal, the look in Laxus' eyes was almost feral but Lucy must have had a similar look in her eyes for he began to quicken his pace.

"Fuck me . . . make me come . . . Please Laxus!" Lucy was pinned beneath Laxus' powerful thrusts, full with his magnificent cock, his fingers strumming her clit. An animal groan came from deep inside him and I felt Laxus' cock begin to spasm, hand gripping my hips then as he pummeled in her so hard that it pushed her over the edge. Lucy screamed with bliss as her world went white with pleasure. They both gasped, moaned, and writhed against each other, begging each other to keep fucking, to keep coming, to keep that amazing feeling alive for as long as they could. Each mutual thrust gave way to another wave of orgasms that gradually ebbed as they slowed and stopped. Laxus picked Lucy up in his arms and carried his exhausted mate to their bed. He'd need to replace the table since it was stained with the juices of their sexual activities, but it was a very small price to pay for being able to remember having sex with his mate this time around. He threw the sheets over to him as Lucy snuggled into his side, kissing the top of her head he fell into a peaceful sleep. They'd worry about everything else tomorrow.


	32. Chapter 32

Lucy woke up feeling good. She didn't have any other way to describe it after her mating with Laxus last night. He'd woke her up that morning sucking on her nipples with his hands between her legs, then she'd walked into the shower where he had her again, and lastly he'd fucked her against the wall as she was trying to get dressed. She was deliciously sore in all the right places but also needed a break from her mate's amorous attentions. This seductive side of Laxus wasn't one she was used too, but damn if it didn't just make her melt. The little kisses he had been giving her all morning and brief touches made her soul sing.

She was now currently sitting in the war room with Warqueen Angeline, Farron, and Arman with Zen, Laxus, and Vander hanging around in the background. Arman had sent Kaleb back to White Sea with Wendy, Juvia, and Cristoff, thanks to Thane's magic, and had Farron brought back here. Lucy was smirking internally hypothesizing what kind of push Cristoff's full moon was going to have on her friends and family tonight.

Hopefully, there would be a couple other dragon mate's in the next couple days and Arman could bug them about grandchildren. Laxus was his honorary son, which meant Lucy was now part of the family and the Pradesh patriarch was already wanting to know when he could expect their first children. Laxus had almost spit his coffee out when Arman asked, while Lucy had dropped her fork to her plate with a clank. The teasing from the Pradesh siblings had ensued after that before Lucy had to run for her meeting, her mate willingly following her. Lucy could see the laughter in both the ambassador's eyes as they listened to her soulful thoughts.

Lucy like Warqueen Angeline, she was quiet and shy but still held a fierceness around her that showed she was proud to be Joyan. The woman was also wickedly smart, not only was she a water mage but she was an obstetrician as well, which came in handy since she ran the maternity ward for all Joyan women.

"I followed Sydelle because I knew I would never defeat her in combat. My water magic is strong but I have used it in healing instead of battle for years," the dark pink eyed woman stated. "There are a lot of things that I didn't agree with, such as the black market weapon trades or the current way our male slaves are being treated but when you're the only one on the Warqueen council that isn't in line with the other you learn your place, fast."

"You have been in your position as a Warqueen for four years and working in the maternity ward for ten years, with everything you have seen what changes would you like to see?" Lucy asked the wide-eyed woman, clearly shocked that she was asked her opinion on the matter.

"I'd like to change the rules and regulations for our male slaves. I think we can do better than we currently are and I did like Sydelle's approach to if the men were raised in the environment we wouldn't have the headaches we do now with buying or trapping random men. Their role as being only used for breeding also needs to change as I feel they should have other real jobs within the country. We can't abolish everything that Joyan has built over the years but I do think that there are ways to improve and change. I'd also like a real way to build up our economy instead of black market trade."

"Well, I am so glad to hear you say that," Lucy beamed as she clapped her hands together. "One of the first things I would like to do is sign a treaty with Bosco, and the ambassadors have agreed to help us create one. Second on the list is the two of us choosing a new Warqueen council, one that you will trust and be confident in." Angeline confused face made Lucy smile even more. "You see, I only plan on overseeing everything to the point that everyone here is comfortable with how things are operating. Once that is complete I fully plan on handing the reigns over to you." Angeline gasped, one hand over her mouth the other her heart, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"You want me to . . . to be the High Warqueen?"

"You've shown us more heart than any of the other women that were interviewed and interrogated within the last twenty-four hours, thanks to some very talented White Sea mages. I understand it'll take time and we are all willing to help you out where we can. Granted I am not sure about the rules for bringing new Warqueen councilmembers onboard."

"Generally one of the royal bloodlines sits on the council, but the matriarchs of the lines are all deceased," Arman rubbed his chin, "but from my understanding all of the children from the previous Warqueen's are under the age of eight and can't challenge the High Warqueen until their sixteenth birthday."

"You are correct, ambassador. We have never had the majority of the Warqueens die due to battle before, not in any of the texts I have ever read. We will have to come up with a new law and I do have several women I think would work well with High Warqueen Lucy and the two of you." The rest of the day was spent going over every detail in great depth, leaving the ambassadors with much to look into, review, and start working on.

Lucy and Angeline had supper together, Laxus lingering in the background, as the two women talked more shop. Laxus was ready for this day to be done but knew there would be many more to follow. Politics wasn't even close to one of the top fifty things he ever thought he'd be a part of, but here he was. He knew when he'd look back on this moment that it would be one of the highlights of his mate's life but for now, he just wanted to have her all to himself in the privacy of their room. Tomorrow would come bringing new issues, surprises, and good news but tonight he'd drown himself in the wondrous smell that was Lucy.

Laxus was smiling at Lucy who was scolding Bickslow for dumping a large jug of blue juice over his mate's head. Her white shirt had a nice tie die look to it as her hair was stained blue, puddles forming from where her hair was dripping. Thankfully, Lucy had handed Laxus the twins before she had become the latest victim of Bickslow prank war he was having against Vander. So far he had been able to avoid anything happening to his person, but he wouldn't put it past the devilish shadowquip to continue trying. At least Bickslow knew better by now.

* * *

It was hard to believe that eighteen months to the day had gone by since White Sea had stormed Joya in an effort to save Vander, Kaleb, Cristoff, and himself. So many wonderful and crazy events had happened that made him thankful every day that Lucy was his mate. It had taken a little over a year to get High Warqueen Angeline set up and running on her own and with her new council. She still contacted Lucy frequently, the two women tried to visit with one another a couple times a year and Farron was tasked with helping Joya going forward.

Farron and Freed had tied the knot after Freed had cut all ties to his family in Fiore which had been a bit messy. The two men couldn't have been happier and were currently going through a list of surrogates that Arman just happened to have on hand. Freed was Farron's assistant and watching that power couple sent shivers through most grown men. Freed was still shy in regards to openly showing affection with Farron but he had come a long way since joining the guild.

Bickslow and Vander were still patrolling the club scene at every given opportunity, neither wanting to settle down. The seith mage started training with Vander and was added to Vander's team making it a trio, much to Presca's dismay. The energy mage was happy that at least Bickslow sided with him on some things and he had someone to wait with while Vander did all his super sleuthing. The were Kaleb's top stealth and undercover team, especially once Lucy was better able to use Gemini's magic of transformation.

Cristoff and Juvia were the happiest, sappiest, most lovey-dovey couple Laxus had ever seen, he often rolled his eyes at the couple. Cristoff did mate Juvia the night of the full moon eighteen months ago, Juvia became pregnant with twin boys that night too. Those terrible twins were just turning nine months old, both were storm dragon slayers and Arman had been tickled pink when their first pregnancy was announced. Laxus figured it was a matter of hours before everyone started picking up on the fact that Juvia was currently five weeks pregnant now. The rain woman could cause floods with her tears or Angry Juvia was something to stay far, far away from. Only Cristoff and Lucy seemed to be able to calm her down in such a state, however, Lucy sometimes let Angry Juvia have her revenge if she thought it was a just reason.

Emzadi and Xally were still single, still trying to get into Presca's pants to the point where the guild was betting on who would win. Laxus had his money on Presca, that man had some shit to sort through in his own past before he could open up to anyone. Xally was still busy at her clinic, still working with animal conservation groups in order to preserve her water-loving animal friends. Emzadi was kicking ass and taking names on every mission she came across, the total badass woman.

He had it on good authority that Zen was seeing Angeline. Turns out Angeline wasn't a fan of the way Zen had been treating her like a doll while doing guard duty when she visited Farron and Arman. She had challenged him to a duel, one the entire family decided to watch. Angeline had put up one hell of a fight against Zen, but the ex Pergrandian gladiator still came out on top, quite literally. Zen had whisked Angeline off to his room to show her just how much he appreciated that she wasn't a frail woman. That was three months ago and everything seemed to be going well for the two of them.

Wendy had taken off when Thane brought them back to White Sea and Kaleb was overwhelmed with everything his guild had gone through that he was stuck in his office for weeks. Lucy had been the only one to hear anything at all from the sky dragon slayer and she was sworn to secrecy, which everyone absolutely despised. Wendy had returned after three months, very, very long months for the mindbender mage. Wendy knew that Kaleb would have his hands full when they returned and that he needed some time to wrap his head around being her mate. The bluenette knew her dragon wouldn't leave Kaleb alone so she left, well, ran away from everything.

She stayed with Lamia Scale for those three months working with Chelia and growing as an individual. Laxus will never forget the moment Wendy walked through the doors, it was like time had been frozen as he watched the realization dawn on Kaleb that she was truly back home. Wendy smiled at the mindbender as he whisked her into his arms, lips finding hers in one hell of a welcome home kiss. It had taken another couple of months before they were mated and Wendy was a welcome addition to the leadership of White Sea. Kaleb brought that out in her and together they were a mighty team when things seemed grim Wendy would talk to Lucy. There were no kids for the two of them yet but with another full moon on the horizon, it was only a matter of time. Kaleb may not be affected by his lunar brother but Wendy definitely was, turns out sky magic was very well in tune with lunar magic.

Evergreen and Cobra . . . that was still Laxus' favourite mating of all time. Those two would snip, snarl, and poke fun at one another until someone pounced on the other. It provided endless amounts of entertainment for the group and Lucy would use her gate magic to send them back to the room when things started getting X rated. Evergreen had given birth to a little girl a week ago that her father turning to mush. No news on the kind of magic she was holding within her small body but she definitely charmed her parents.

Lucy had come back from changing her clothes and Cancer fixing her hair with a smile on her face but a dark aura around her. Bickslow was going to be in so much pain when his mate's plan went through. That devilish look in her eyes told him everything he needed to know. Lucy picked up their blonde-haired grey-eyed daughter, kissing her forehead as she tickled their son's tummy. Their twins were coming up four months old, Layla's magic took after her mother while Lucas was all his father. So far they both seemed to have Lucy's sunny disposition but there were many more years to come.

"Don't think too hard or you might fry the electrical system." Laxus slapped Lucy's as while she giggled.

"It happened one time and if I recall correctly you were part of the reason the system was fried in the first place." One hell of a storm had rolled into Bosco, lightning was flashing across the sky every thirty seconds or so. Laxus had been on such a magical high that when he took Lucy that night he overcharged the entire system and shut down the power to the guild and half the city. It was a running joke between everyone now. "Hey, Emzadi! I need a favour." The solar dragon slayer looked between the two blondes a sly grin appearing on her face.

"I'll babysit for the night while you work on more nieces and nephews for me to spoil," Laxus smirked as he disappeared in a flash of lightning with his mate. These moments of just the two of them happened more frequently since there were many family and friends willing to babysit, and he appreciated every moment. He didn't know what the future had in store, but with and Lucy and his family by his side they'd be unstoppable.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this brings us to the end of WLS. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed this story over the past several months - I hope you all enjoyed it. I have started 2 mini-series that'll be roughly 10 chapters each - Light of the Veiled & Defenders of the Light. I have been toying with these two ideas for a while now and am extremely happy with how they've been received thus far. I am currently working on the outline for another 30ish chapter story that has been in the works for a while that I can't wait to share with everyone. I will continue to post of FF as well as Archive of Our Own as Brittles_06.
> 
> Cheers!


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